A Quantum-Resistant Photonic Hash Function

Abstract: We propose a quantum hash function based on Gaussian boson sampling on a photonic quantum computer, aiming to provide quantum-resistant security. Extensive simulations demonstrate that this hash function exhibits strong properties of preimage, second preimage, and collision resistance, which are essential for cryptographic applications. Notably, the estimated number of attempts required for a successful collision attack increases exponentially with the mode counts of the photonic quantum computer, suggesting robust resistance against birthday attacks. We also analyze the sampling cost for physical implementation and discuss potential applications to blockchain technologies, where the inherent quantum nature of the hash computation could provide quantum-resistant security. The high dimensionality of the quantum state space involved in the hashing process poses significant challenges for quantum attacks, indicating a path towards quantum security. Our work lays the foundation for a new paradigm of quantum-resistant hashing with applications in emerging quantum-era information systems.