Winkler Marvin, Peither Catharina, Petrick Simon, Seidemann Lothar, Jelich Holger, Kleine Jäger Frank, Müller-Quade Jörn, Colsmann Alexander, Nirschl Hermann, Rhein Frank
Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering and Mechanics (MVM), KIT, Strasse am Forum 8, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Material Research Center for Energy Systems (MZE), KIT, Strasse am Forum 7, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2025 Feb;12(5):e2409386. doi: 10.1002/advs.202409386. Epub 2024 Dec 16.
Decentralized consensus on the state of the Bitcoin blockchain is ensured by proof of work. It relies on digital one-way functions and is associated with an enormous environmental impact. This paper conceptualizes a physical one-way function that aims to transform a digital, electricity-consuming consensus mechanism into a physical process. Boundary conditions for the security requirements are established and discussed as well as experimentally investigated for a specific setup based on printing and optical analysis of pigment-carrier composites. In the context of the applied methods, this setup promises to be mathematically unclonable, steady, reproducible, collision resistant and non-invertible and illustrates the feasibility of a physical one-way function. Based on this, a framework for proof of physical work is conceptualized, which has the potential of a drastically lower CO footprint. This work initiates a progressive, interdisciplinary field of research and demands further investigations with regards to alternative setups, security definitions and strategies for challenging them.
比特币区块链状态的去中心化共识由工作量证明来确保。它依赖于数字单向函数,并且与巨大的环境影响相关联。本文概念化了一种物理单向函数,旨在将数字的、消耗电力的共识机制转变为一个物理过程。建立并讨论了安全要求的边界条件,并基于颜料 - 载体复合材料的印刷和光学分析对特定设置进行了实验研究。在所应用方法的背景下,该设置有望在数学上不可克隆、稳定、可重现、抗碰撞且不可逆,并说明了物理单向函数的可行性。基于此,概念化了一种物理工作量证明框架,其有可能大幅降低碳足迹。这项工作开启了一个渐进的、跨学科的研究领域,并需要针对替代设置、安全定义以及挑战它们的策略进行进一步研究。