Pseudo color image encryption based on three-beams interference principle and common vector composition

In this paper, a new method for optical image encryption based on three-beams interference principle and common vector composition is proposed. An original gray image is divided into three parts of amplitude information and three parts of phase information by a common vector composition. We can put the three parts of amplitude information together to form a color image which is regarded as a ciphertext. And the keys of the encryption system are the three phase information. In the decryption process, three beams of coherent light illuminate at the three parts of the ciphertext, pass through the corresponding phase only masks respectively, and finally the decrypted gray image would be obtained at the output plane after Fourier transform and three-beams interference. Computer simulations are presented to verify the possibility of the proposed method.