Abstract
A semi-counterfactual quantum bit commitment (SCQBC) protocol is presented here for the first time, which makes use of counterfactual property. Similar to a counterfactual quantum key distribution scheme, half-photons are not transmitted through the quantum channel in our proposed protocol. In the SCQBC protocol, Bob, the verification party of the quantum bit commitment (QBC), sends the states while Alice, the commitment party, receives. Since Alice cannot receive all the states and entangle the commit bits with the verifier’s registers, it is not subject to Mayers’ and Lo-Chau’s no-go theorem. In addition, a general bit commitment framework can be extracted from the SCQBC scheme, which opens up a new class of cryptographic protocols in counterfactual cryptography.
Highlights
The bit commitment (BC) scheme is a basic primitive of modern cryptography
We show that it is possible to build a QBC protocol based on the counterfactual property, called semi-counterfactual quantum bit commitment (SCQBC), which can resist the existing no-go theorem type attack
We construct a SCQBC protocol inspired by counterfactual quantum cryptography
Summary
The bit commitment (BC) scheme is a basic primitive of modern cryptography. The BC concept was first proposed by Blum[1], and it plays a crucial role in constructions of multi-party secure computation, such as zero-knowledge proof schemes and verified secret shared schemes. If Alice and Bob execute the scheme honestly, Bob obtains the correct commit bit x in the unveil phase. Mayers, Lo, and Chau separately presented the no-go theorem and proved that the unconditional secure QBC protocol is impossible[5,6,7]. Since no-go theorem was presented, most of QBC protocols cannot realize the unconditional security anymore, especially the binding security. The later researches focus on exploring QBC with practical security and constructing the QBC protocols evading the no-go theorem type attack. In no-go theorem, Alice prepares a series of entangled states, sends half to Bob and keeps the other half not measured in the commitment phase. We are inspired by counterfactual quantum cryptography[31] and try to construct a QBC protocol immune to no-go theorem type attack based on the counterfactual property.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
