Practical aspects of physical and MAC layer security in visible light communication systems

Abstract— Visible light communication (VLC) has been recently proposed as an alternative standard to radio-based wireless networks. Originally developed as a physical media for PANs (Personal area Networks) it evolved into universal WLAN technology with a capability to transport internet suite of network and application level protocols. Because of its physical characteristics, and in line with the slogan "what you see is what you send", VLC is considered a secure communication method. In this work we focus on security aspects of VLC communication, starting from basic physical characteristics of the communication channel. We analyze the risks of signal jamming, data snooping and data modification. We also discuss MAC-level security mechanisms as defined in the IEEE 802.15.7 standard. This paper is an extension of work originally reported in Proceedings of the 13th IFAC and IEEE Conference on Programmable Devices and Embedded Systems — PDES 2015

Comparing Gausian and exact models of malicious interference in VLC systems

Visible Light Communication (VLC) is a technique for high-speed, low-cost wireless data transmission based on LED luminaries. Wireless LAN environments are a major application of VLC. In these environments, VLC is used in place of traditional systems such as Wi-Fi. Because of the physical characteristics of visible light, VLC is considered to be superior to traditional radio-based communication in terms of security. However, as in all wireless systems, the security of VLC with respect to eavesdropping, signal jamming and modification must be analyzed. This paper focuses on the aspect of jamming in VLC networks. In environments where multiple VLC transmitters are used, there is the possibility that one or more transmitters will be hostile (or "rogue"). This leads to communication disruption, and in some cases, the hijacking of the legitimate data stream. In this paper we present the theoretical system model that is used in simulations to evaluate various rogue transmission scenarios in a typical indoor environment. The typical approach used so far in jamming analysis assumes that all disruptive transmissions may be modeled as Gaussian noise, but this assumption may be too simplistic. We analyze and compare two models of VLC jamming: the simplified Gaussian and the exact model, where the full characteristics of the interfering signal are taken into account. Our aim is to determine which methodology is adequate for studying signal jamming in VLC systems

Binding energy of shallow donors in a quantum well in the presence of a tilted magnetic field

We present results of variational calculations of the binding energy of a neutral donor in a quantum well in the presence of a magnetic field tilted relative to the QW plane. Assuming that the donor is located in the center of the QW, we perform calculations for parameters typical of a II-VI wide-gap semiconductor heterostructure, using as an example the case of a rectangular CdTe quantum well with CdMgTe barriers. We present the dependence of the binding energy of a neutral donor on the tilt angle and on the magnitude of the applied magnetic filed. As a key result, we show that measurement of the binding energy of a donor at two angles of the magnetic field with respect to the quantum well plane can be used to unambiguously determined the conduction band offset of the materials building up heterostructure.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Excitonic giant Zeeman effect in GaN:Mn^3+

We describe a direct observation of the excitonic giant Zeeman splitting in (Ga,Mn)N, a wide-gap III-V diluted magnetic semiconductor. Reflectivity and absorption spectra measured at low temperatures display the A and B excitons, with a shift under magnetic field due to s,p-d exchange interactions. Using an excitonic model, we determine the difference of exchange integrals between Mn^3+ and free carriers in GaN, N_0(alpha-beta)=-1.2 +/- 0.2 eV. Assuming a reasonable value of alpha, this implies a positive sign of beta which corresponds to a rarely observed ferromagnetic interaction between the magnetic ions and the holes.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

KINETIC EXCHANGE IN DILUTED MAGNETIC SEMICONDUCTORS OF WURTZITE STRUCTURE*

Kinetic exchange between valence electrons and paramagnetic ions in diluted magnetic semiconductors of wurtzite structure is examined and compared with the results obtained previously for zinc-blende type diluted magnetic semiconductors. Two limiting electron configurations of the impurity ion, d5 and dl , are discussed. For the former, it is shown that the exchange constant anisotropy, experimentally observed in CdMnSe, results from the anisotropy of the hybridization matrix elements. In the latter case, apart from the similar anisotropy of the ferromagnetic exchange constant, additional, antiferromagnetic corrections should be expected, since for this particular symmetry the hybridization between the ground state of the ion and valence band becomes allowed

Information Infrastructure for Cooperative Research in Neuroscience

The paper describes a framework for efficient sharing of knowledge between research groups, which have been working for several years without flaws. The obstacles in cooperation are connected primarily with the lack of platforms for effective exchange of experimental data, models, and algorithms. The solution to these problems is proposed by construction of the platform (EEG.pl) with the semantic aware search scheme between portals. The above approach implanted in the international cooperative projects like NEUROMATH may bring the significant progress in designing efficient methods for neuroscience research

Interstitial Mn in (Ga,Mn)As: Binding energy and exchange coupling

We present ab initio calculations of total energies of Mn atoms in various interstitial positions. The calculations are performed by the full-potential linearized plane-wave method. The minimum energy is found for tetrahedral T(As4) position, but the energy of the T(Ga4) site differs by only a few meV. The T(Ga4) position becomes preferable in the p-type materials. In samples with one substitutional and one interstitial Mn the Mn atoms tend to form close pair with antiparallel magnetic moments. We also use the spin-splitting of the valence band to estimate the exchange coupling Jpd for various positions of Mn. It is the same for the substitutional and T(As4) position and it is only slightly reduced for the T(Ga4) position. The hybridization of Mn d-states with six next-nearest neighbors of the interstitial Mn explains the insensitivity of Jpd to the position of Mn.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables, submitted to the Physical Review