Comment Learn some Optics (Score 2, Interesting) 156
You must understand optics to grasp the beauty of this lock.
First, it is very difficult to couple light into a fiber. Any copy would have to be made with each fiber being perfectly aligned in at least five and possibly six axes. This would be virtually impossible.
In addition, the difficulty in coupling into a fiber would make it impossible to simply shine light in and get a response.
Optical systems offer many additional degrees of freedom including wavelegength, phase, polarization, and intensity.
Fibers could split or join inside the key. Light could be color shifted, or have its polarization modified. I can think of over 30 possible actions to take on each fiber that the "picker" could not determine without time, tools, and repeated attemps.
In short, those who understand optics know that if this lock was in a laboratory with the original key, it could take over a week, $200K in specialized equipement and $10K (custom filters are $5000 for 1, $5050 for 100-optics are much cheaper in large qnty) in materials to pick.
First, it is very difficult to couple light into a fiber. Any copy would have to be made with each fiber being perfectly aligned in at least five and possibly six axes. This would be virtually impossible.
In addition, the difficulty in coupling into a fiber would make it impossible to simply shine light in and get a response.
Optical systems offer many additional degrees of freedom including wavelegength, phase, polarization, and intensity.
Fibers could split or join inside the key. Light could be color shifted, or have its polarization modified. I can think of over 30 possible actions to take on each fiber that the "picker" could not determine without time, tools, and repeated attemps.
In short, those who understand optics know that if this lock was in a laboratory with the original key, it could take over a week, $200K in specialized equipement and $10K (custom filters are $5000 for 1, $5050 for 100-optics are much cheaper in large qnty) in materials to pick.
