Securing optical code-division multiple-access networks with a postswitching coding scheme of signature reconfiguration

The optical code-division multiple-access (OCDMA) technique is considered a good candidate for providing optical layer security. An enhanced OCDMA network security mechanism with a pseudonoise (PN) random digital signals type of maximal-length sequence (M-sequence) code switching to protect against eavesdropping is presented. Signature codes unique to individual OCDMA-network users are reconfigured according to the register state of the controlling electrical shift registers. Examples of signature reconfiguration following state switching of the controlling shift register for both the network user and the eavesdropper are numerically illustrated. Dynamically changing the PN state of the shift register to reconfigure the user signature sequence is shown; this hinders eavesdroppers' efforts to decode correct data sequences.