© 1989 by British Computer Society
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Data Encryption based upon Time Reversal Transformations

1 Department of Applied Science, Hong Kong Polytechnic, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, 2 Department of Computer Science, California State University, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
We present here a data encryption model based upon time reversal transformations in analogy to a mechanical system whose dynamics is described by second order (in time) equations. Such a mechanical system is conservative (i.e. no loss in energy). By the same token, if a set of data is manipulated according to an equation which is second order in time, the information contained in the data will not be lost after an arbitrary number of iterations. In this way, one can encrypt confidential data which is to be transmitted via a computer network to an incomprehensible form; the destined receiver can easily convert the encrypted data back to the original comprehensible form by reversing the order of iterations.
Received October 1987. revised January 1988.
* Department of Applied Science, Hong Kong Polytechnic, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
Department of Computer Science, California State University, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA