Security in the shell: An optical physical unclonable function made of shells of cholesteric liquid crystals

We describe the application in security of shells of Cholesteric Liquid Crystals (ChLCs). Such shells have a diameter in the microns range and can be gathered in hundreds in a surface area as small as a nail's head. Because of their structural properties, a bundle of them reflects light, creating colorful patterns that we argue to be unique and computationally hard to predict. We argue also that the bundle itself is unclonable. These are typical properties of Physically Unclonable Functions, a family to which shells of ChLCs belong too. Herein we discuss their physical and security properties and their potential use in object authentication.