Three-dimensional joint transform correlator cryptosystem.

We introduce for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a three-dimensional experimental joint transform correlator (JTC) cryptosystem allowing the encryption of information for any 3D object, and as an additional novel feature, a second 3D object plays the role of the encoding key. While the JTC architecture is normally used to process 2D data, in this work, we envisage a technique that allows the use of this architecture to protect 3D data. The encrypted object information is contained in the joint power spectrum. We register the key object as a digital off-axis Fourier hologram. The encryption procedure is done optically, while the decryption is carried out by means of a virtual optical system, allowing for flexible implementation of the proposal. We present experimental results to demonstrate the validity and feasibility of the method.