Chaotic encryption and decryption: involving undergraduates in authentic research

Research is becoming an integral part of the educational experiences of undergraduates. The University of Central Arkansas (UCA) has developed programs that provide authentic research experiences for undergraduate majors in its College of Natural Sciences in Mathematics. An investigation of chaotic encryption involves mentors from UCA and NSWCDD. Complex dynamical systems can be used to generate pseudorandom electronic signals. Such pseudorandom signals can be combined with communications signals to mask underlying signals. When broadcast, the resulting combination appears to be broadcast noise. In this project chaotic electric circuits are being used to mask information. Such circuits exhibit the property of chaotic synchronization. The synchronization is known to persist when communications signals are added to the chaotic signal produced by the source circuit. The students are investigating the stability of synchronization when different signal inputs are imposed on the circuits, and determining the conditions under which chaotic signals can be separated from underlying communication signals. Methods of determining which signals contain information are also being investigated.