Cryptography Studies Open-access companion sites for cryptography books

Data Encryption at the Intersection of Mathematics and Physics
Comparing Physical Methods of Cryptography

Ernst Piller · Hubert Schölnast

About this book

Scope

This open-access SpringerBrief compares physical methods for cryptographic key generation and key distribution: Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Radio-Signal Key Distribution (RKD), and Memory Key Distribution (MKD). It is written for readers who need to assess high-security communication and storage systems in practical settings, including procurement, architecture, and operational deployment decisions.

It focuses on practical evaluation criteria such as key rates, range, robustness, cost, infrastructure, portability, standardization, implementation risks, postprocessing, side channels, and operational deployment. The comparison treats the technologies as engineering options rather than as a simple ranking: QKD is examined through its quantum-physical security basis and infrastructure requirements, RKD through reciprocal radio-channel measurements and mobile use cases, and MKD through secure storage media, logistics, and the feasibility of transporting large volumes of key material.

Audience

The book is intended for readers concerned with high data security in telecommunications and data storage, especially IT security experts, procurers, decision-makers, consultants, computer scientists, researchers, students, and practitioners interested in cryptography and physics.

Open-access note

This is an author-maintained companion site. The official version of record is available from Springer Nature Link. The full book is available as an open-access publication. For citation data, EPUB download, chapter-level downloads, accessibility information, and the official publisher record, please refer to the Springer page.

Official publisher page: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-24764-3

Chapters

Chapter titles and page ranges follow the official Springer table of contents.

Chapter 1 · Introduction

Pages 1–11. Introduces the book’s purpose, comparison logic, target audience, evaluation criteria, and the rationale for comparing physical cryptography methods in practical security contexts.

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Chapter 3 · QKD (Quantum Key Distribution)

Pages 25–84. Examines quantum key distribution in theory and practice, including variants, networks, satellites, free-space links, trusted nodes, side-channel risks, and operational limitations.

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External appendices

The following pages provide additional material maintained by the authors. These appendices are hosted exclusively here on this companion website, not on Springer Nature Link.

Appendix 07 · Storage Media

Supplementary material on secure storage media relevant to Memory Key Distribution and one-time-pad-scale key transport.

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Suggested citation

Reference in IEEE style

E. Piller and H. Schölnast, Data Encryption at the Intersection of Mathematics and Physics: Comparing Physical Methods of Cryptography. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Cham, 2026. doi: 10.1007/978-3-032-24764-3.

Reference in ACM style

Ernst Piller and Hubert Schölnast. 2026. Data Encryption at the Intersection of Mathematics and Physics: Comparing Physical Methods of Cryptography. Springer Cham, Cham, Switzerland. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-24764-3

BibTeX entry 
@book{piller_schoelnast_2026_data_encryption,
  title     = {Data Encryption at the Intersection of Mathematics and Physics: Comparing Physical Methods of Cryptography},
  author    = {Piller, Ernst and Schölnast, Hubert},
  year      = {2026},
  date      = {2026-06-19},
  publisher = {Springer Cham},
  series    = {SpringerBriefs in Information Security and Cryptography},
  edition   = {1st edition},
  pages     = {XI, 174},
  doi       = {10.1007/978-3-032-24764-3},
  isbn      = {978-3-032-24764-3},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-24764-3},
  language  = {en}
}
RIS entry 
TY  - BOOK
TI  - Data Encryption at the Intersection of Mathematics and Physics
T2  - Comparing Physical Methods of Cryptography
AU  - Piller, Ernst
AU  - Schölnast, Hubert
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026-06-19
PB  - Springer Cham
T3  - SpringerBriefs in Information Security and Cryptography
ET  - 1st edition
SP  - XI, 174
SN  - 978-3-032-24764-3
SN  - 978-3-032-24763-6
DO  - 10.1007/978-3-032-24764-3
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-24764-3
LA  - en
ER  -
CSL JSON entry 
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