All physical objects surrounding us, be they everyday objects or tailor made nanosystems, exhibit a certain level of irregularity or “disorder” on small length scales. This phenomenon cannot be fully avoided by better manufacturing technology, and only increases with miniaturization; usually it is regarded as unwanted nuisance that is to be avoided. This thesis shows, however, that it also possesses positive applications in a security context. It enables new, advantageous approaches in cryptographic protocols, the identification of hardware systems, or the forgery-proof labeling of valuable commercial products.
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All physical objects surrounding us, be they everyday objects or tailor made nanosystems, exhibit a certain level of irregularity or “disorder” on small length scales. This phenomenon cannot be fully avoided by better manufacturing technology, and only increases with miniaturization; usually it is regarded as unwanted nuisance that is to be avoided. This thesis shows, however, that it also possesses positive applications in a security context. It enables new, advantageous approaches in crypt...
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