A secure identification system using coherent states

A quantum identification system based on the transformation of polarization of a mesoscopic coherent state is proposed. Physically, an initial polarization state which carries the identity information is transformed into an arbitrary elliptical polarization state. To verify the identity of a communicator, a reverse procedure is performed by the receiver. For simply describing the transformation procedure, the analytical methods of Poincaré sphere and quaternion are adopted. Since quantum noise provides such a measurement uncertainty for the eavesdropping that the identity information cannot be retrieved from the elliptical polarization state, the proposed scheme is secure.