The One-
Qubit Pad (OQP) protocol and its generic implementing device constitute a novel, maximally efficient scheme for
encryption of
quantum information with a
quantum key of just a single
qubit in an arbitrary unknown
quantum state. The OQP enables
encryption of the
quantum information of n qubits register with a single
qubit key upon provision of a multi-
qubit entanglement between the single qubit key and the n qubits of the quantum message by the iterative application of the CNOT gate on the same key qubit (control input) and subsequent qubits of the message (target input). This results in an entanglement of all n+1 qubits, which locks original
quantum information qubits and the single qubit of the key in a jointly entangled state that cannot be disentangled without the single qubit key. In order to decrypt the quantum message (by its disentanglement) one needs to have the qubit key and either reverse the protocol (applying CNOT operations in the reversed order) or simply measure the entangled key qubit and then depending on the outcome either straightforwardly obtain the decrypted quantum message or its quantum
negation (dealt with by again applying quantum
negation on all of the message qubits thus restoring their original states). The OQP protocol and its implementing device is proposed one hundred years after the classical One-Time Pad (Vernam
cipher) was invented in 1917. The main differences between two schemes show how much quantum and clasical information differ. It is of course impossible to unconditionally securely encrypt classical sequence of n bits with just 1 bit of a key or guarantee that the random key that can be used for this purpose of n bits length (same as of the message) could not be copied. In contrast both these features are possible for the
quantum information as described upon the proposed invention. The main characteristic of the OQP protocol to use only a single qubit as the key to enable information-theoretic security of n qubits quantum information
encryption follows from the introduction in the invention of the multi-qubit entanglement, which is a non-local, topological and non-classical phenomenon giving quantum information significant edge over its classical counterpart. The main application of the OQP protocol and its implementing generic device is to lock quantum information with the single key qubit in order to prevent any unauthorized access to it (not only a classical access upon a measurement, but more importantly a quantum access by a
quantum information processing device). This application can be also extended to communication
scenario jointly with the
Quantum Teleportation, which without OQP requires pre-sharing of n pairs of Bell states between
Alice and Bob to securely communicate n qubits long quantum message, whereas in contrast with the OQP protocol just one pair of
Bell state is required to securely teleport only the single qubit key for the OQP encrypted quantum message sent through an insecure
quantum channel and still be access-protected from Eve (an
adversary).