Cryptography without Long-Term Quantum Memory and Global Entanglement: Classical Setups for One-Time Programs, Copy Protection, and Stateful Obfuscation
Abstract
We show how oracles which only allow for classical query access can be used to construct a variety of quantum cryptographic primitives which do not require long-term quantum memory or global entanglement. Specifically, if a quantum party can execute a semi-quantum token scheme (Shmueli 2022) with probability of success , we can build powerful cryptographic primitives with a multiplicative logarithmic overhead for the desired correctness error. Our scheme makes no assumptions about the quantum party's noise model except for a simple independence requirement: noise on two sets of non-entangled hardware must be independent. Using semi-quantum tokens and oracles which can only be queried classically, we first show how to construct a "short-lived" semi-quantum one-time program (OTP) which allows a classical sending party to prepare a one-time program on the receiving party's quantum computer. We then show how to use this semi-quantum OTP to construct a semi-quantum "stateful obfuscation" scheme (which we term "RAM obfuscation"). Importantly, the RAM obfuscation scheme does not require long-term quantum memory or global entanglement. Finally, we show how RAM obfuscation can be used to build long-lived one-time programs and copy-protection schemes.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2504.21842,
title = {Cryptography without Long-Term Quantum Memory and Global Entanglement: Classical Setups for One-Time Programs, Copy Protection, and Stateful Obfuscation},
author = {Lev Stambler},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.21842},
year = {2025}
}