Quantum Bits Phase Based Representation and Application for Color Images

To address the problem of the description and encryption of color images on the quantum computer, a new method based on the phase rotation of qubit is proposed. Firstly, the color image is described as a quantum superposition state by mapping the pixel gray value to the phase of the qubit, where the ground state denotes the position of the pixel, and the corresponding probability amplitude denotes the gray value of the pixel. Then, based on the phase rotation of the qubit, some simple image processing methods are designed. Finally, a new color image encryption algorithm is proposed, which consists of two processes: the scrambling of the pixel position and the rotation of the qubits. The proposed method can be run on quantum computers in the future. The simulation results on the classic computer show that the method is effective.