BIB-VERSION:: CS-TR-v2.0
ID:: ncstrl.dartmouthcs//TR2002-425
ENTRY:: July 26, 2002
ORGANIZATION:: Dartmouth College, Computer Science
TITLE:: The Future of Cryptography Under Quantum Computers
TYPE:: Technical Report (paper)
REVISION:: 1
AUTHOR:: Barreno, Marco A.
DATE:: July 2002
RETRIEVAL:: For a paper copy, email <reports@cs.dartmouth.edu>
RETRIEVAL:: For a paper copy, write to
       Technical Report Librarian
       Department of Computer Science
       Dartmouth College
       6211 Sudikoff Laboratory
       Hanover, NH 03755-3510
       USA
RETRIEVAL:: Compressed Postscript at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/reports/TR2002-425.ps.Z
RETRIEVAL:: PDF at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/reports/TR2002-425.pdf
ABSTRACT:: 
  Cryptography is an ancient art that has passed through many
paradigms, from simple letter substitutions to polyalphabetic
substitutions to rotor machines to digital encryption to public-key
cryptosystems.  With the possible advent of quantum computers and the
strange behaviors they exhibit, a new paradigm shift in cryptography
may be on the horizon.  Quantum computers could hold the potential to
render most modern encryption useless against a quantum-enabled
adversary.  The aim of this thesis is to characterize this convergence
of cryptography and quantum computation.
  We provide definitions for cryptographic primitives that frame them
in general terms with respect to complexity.  We explore the various
possible relationships between BQP, the primary quantum complexity
class, and more familiar classes, and we analyze the possible
implications for cryptography.
NOTE:: 
This paper was written as a senior honors thesis with advisor Sean
W. Smith.
END:: ncstrl.dartmouthcs//TR2002-425