English

One-way Functions In Reversible Computations

Quantum Physics 2008-02-03 v2

Abstract

One-way functions are used in modern cryto-systems as doortraps because their inverse functions are supposed to be difficult to compute. Nonetheless with the discovery of reversible computation, it seems that one may break a one-way function by running a reversible computer backward. Here, we argue that reversible computation alone poses no threat to the existence of one-way functions because of the generation of ``garbage bits'' during computations. Consequently, we prove a necessary and sufficient condition for a one-to-one function to be a one-way in terms of the growth rate of the total number of possible garbage bit configurations with the input size.

Cite

@article{arxiv.quant-ph/9506012,
  title  = {One-way Functions In Reversible Computations},
  author = {H. F. Chau and H. -K. Lo},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:quant-ph/9506012},
  year   = {2008}
}

Comments

In REVTEX 3.0, with one figure. Minor changes. To appear in Cryptologia