FiberID: molecular-level secret for identification of things

This paper describes a new physical unclonable function for identification, FiberID, which uses the molecular level Rayleigh backscatter pattern within a small section of telecommunication-grade optical fiber as a means of verification and identification. The verification process via FiberID is experimentally studied, and an equal error rate (EER) of 0.06% is achieved. Systematic evaluation of FiberID is conducted in term of physical length and ambient temperature. Due to its inherent irreproducibility, FiberID holds the promise to significantly enhance current identification, security, and anti-counterfeiting technologies.