Part 0 of __ (I don’t know yet)
I’ve started opening up and taking apart blockchain for two purposes. First, I’m looking for how encryption is implemented so that I can hopefully figure out how to swap in a quantum-resistant algorithm. And, second, I’m looking for features for which quantum computation might be advantageous.
The inspiration for this endeavor is an ambitious project for which a colleague would like a blockchain backend. And since “quantum” is quite the buzzword these days, I’ve taken it upon myself to investigate whether the terms “quantum-resistant blockchain” or even “quantum blockchain” can be used legitimately. I intend to be my own harshest critic.
What is blockchain?
Imagine we are pre-technological bookkeepers; we record our transactions in ledgers. Every time there is a new transaction, I record it in my ledger and you record it in yours. Everyone else interested in these particular transactions do the same with their respective ledgers. At any given time, we each have our own complete record of transactions, and our ledgers are completely identical.
Blockchain is a digital version of this distributed ledger system. There is no centralized database with all the information. There is also no central authority governing our behavior. But, there are…
