Interferometric phase-only optical encryption system that uses a reference wave

An improved image decryption system is proposed that is based on phase-encoded images and the principle of interference and uses a reference wave. A novel technique for generating intensity patterns from the decrypted phase information consists simply of interfering a reference wave with the wave passing through the encrypted image and a phase-only decrypting key. Optical experiments have confirmed the proposed technique as a simple and robust architecture for optical encryption.