Open AccessSmart responsive organic microlasers with multiple emission states for high-security optical encryption
Author(s) -
Zhenhua Gao,
Kang Wang,
Yongli Yan,
Jiannian Yao,
Yong Sheng Zhao
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
national science review/national science review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.433
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 2095-5138
pISSN - 2053-714X
DOI - 10.1093/nsr/nwaa162
Subject(s) - lasing threshold , encryption , cryptography , computer science , coding (social sciences) , materials science , covert , eavesdropping , optoelectronics , computer network , computer security , mathematics , wavelength , linguistics , statistics , philosophy
Modern high-security cryptography and optical communication call for covert bit sequences with high coding capacity and efficient authentication. Stimuli-responsive lasing emissions with easily distinguishable readout are promising in the coding field as a novel cryptographic primitive, while the application is frequently restricted by the limited number of emission states. Here, we report a strategy of achieving multiple competitive lasing signals in responsive organic microspheres where a donor–acceptor pair was introduced. The competitive lasing from the donor and acceptor was reversibly switched by modulating the competition between the radiative rate of the donor and the rate of energy transfer, and the generated multiple lasing signals enabled a quaternary coding for recognizable cryptographic implementation. Data encryption and extraction were demonstrated using a 4 × 4 microlaser array, showing vast prospects in avoiding the disclosure of security information. The results offer a comprehensive understanding of excited-state dynamics in organic composite materials, which may play a major role in high-security optical recording and information encryption.