Fingerprint authentication via joint transform correlator and its application in remote access control of a 3D microscopic system

We present a fingerprint authentication scheme based on the optical joint transform correlator (JTC) and further describe its application to the remote access control of a Network-based Remote Laboratory (NRL). It is built to share a 3D microscopy system of our realistic laboratory in Shenzhen University with the remote co-researchers in Stuttgart University. In this article, we would like to focus on the involved security issues, mainly on the verification of various remote visitors to our NRL. By making use of the JTC-based optical pattern recognition technique as well as the Personal Identification Number (PIN), we are able to achieve the aim of authentication and access control for any remote visitors. Note that only the authorized remote visitors could be guided to the Virtual Network Computer (VNC), a cross-platform software, which allows the remote visitor to access the desktop applications and visually manipulate the instruments of our NRL through the internet. Specifically to say, when a remote visitor attempts to access to our NRL, a PIN is mandatory required in advance, which is followed by fingerprint capturing and verification. Only if both the PIN and the fingerprint are correct, can one be regarded as an authorized visitor, and then he/she would get the authority to visit our NRL by the VNC. It is also worth noting that the aforementioned “two-step verification” strategy could be further applied to verify the identity levels of various remote visitors, and therefore realize the purpose of diversified visitor management.