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== '''[[Higgs boson]]''' ==
== '''[[Block cipher]]''' ==
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The '''Higgs boson''' is a massive spin-0 [[elementary particle]] in the [[Standard Model]] of [[particle physics]] that plays a key role in explaining the mass of other elementary particles. The experimental discovery of a particle consistent with the Higgs was announced in a seminar on July 4, 2012.<ref name=Higgs/><ref name=CERN/> This particle was first proposed by Professor [[Peter Higgs]] of [[University of Edinburgh|Edinburgh University]] in 1964 as a means to explain the origin of the masses of the elementary particles by the introduction of an fundamental scalar field. This gives all the fundamental particles mass via a process of spontaneous symmetry breaking called the ''Higgs Mechanism''. The Higgs boson was popularised as the "God particle" by the [[Nobel Prize]]-winning [[physicist]] [[Leon M. Lederman]] in his 1993 popular science book ''The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What is the Question?'' co-written with science writer Dick Teresi.<ref name=Lederman/><ref name=Fermilab/>
In [[cryptography]], '''block ciphers''' are one of the two main types of [[symmetric cipher]]; they operate on fixed-size blocks of [[plaintext]], giving a block of [[ciphertext]] for each. The other main type are [[stream cipher]]s, which generate a continuous stream of keying material to be mixed with messages.


===The Higgs mechanism===
The basic function of block ciphers is to keep messages or stored data [[Information_security#Content_confidentiality | secret]]; the intent is that an unauthorised person be completely unable to read the enciphered material. Block ciphers therefore use a [[Key (cryptography)|key]] and are designed to be hard to read without that key. Of course an attacker's intent is exactly the opposite; he wants to read the material without authorisation, and often without the key. See [[cryptanalysis]] for his methods.


In the [[Standard Model]], the theory that explains experimental observations of [[elementary particle]]s, the [[Quantum chromodynamics|QCD vacuum]] has less symmetry than the force laws governing fundamental interactions. This reduced symmetry situation is not unique, and is found in many systems, among them the ground state of [[ferroelectric]]s and of [[superconductor]]s. In these systems, the greater symmetry of nature is exhibited "on average" by a mosaic of sub-domains individually with reduced symmetry, but statistically exhibiting the greater symmetry of the interactions when all the domains are viewed as an ensemble.
Among the best-known and most widely used block ciphers are two US government standards. The [[Data Encryption Standard]] (DES) from the 1970s is now considered obsolete; the [[Advanced Encryption Standard]] (AES) replaced it in 2002. To choose the new standard, the [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] ran an AES competition. Fifteen ciphers were entered, five finalists selected, and eventually AES chosen. Text below gives an overview; for details of the process and the criteria, and descriptions of all fifteen candidates, see the [[AES competition]] article.


In the case of superconductors, the photons, whose exchange mediates the electromagnetic interactions between [[Cooper pairs]], cannot propagate freely because of the presence everywhere of electric charge. In a similar fashion, the Higgs mechanism predicts the symmetry of electroweak interactions is broken by interactions among Higgs bosons in the vacuum, leading (among other things) to non-zero masses for the ''W<sup><big>±</big></sup>'' and ''Z'' weak bosons. In fact, the properties of mass and electric charge stem from interaction with the reduced symmetry vacuum, and are not a result of direct interactions between particles.<ref name=Tully/>
These standards greatly influenced the design of other block ciphers, and the latter part of this article is divided into sections based on that. [[#DES and alternatives | DES and alternatives]] describes 20th century block ciphers, all with the 64-bit block size of DES. [[#The AES generation | The AES generation]] describes the next generation, the first 21st century ciphers, all with the 128-bit block size of AES. [[#Large-block ciphers | Large-block ciphers]] covers a few special cases that do not fit in the other sections.


''[[Higgs boson|.... (read more)]]''
 
''[[Block cipher|.... (read more)]]''


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Revision as of 23:41, 12 July 2012

Block cipher


In cryptography, block ciphers are one of the two main types of symmetric cipher; they operate on fixed-size blocks of plaintext, giving a block of ciphertext for each. The other main type are stream ciphers, which generate a continuous stream of keying material to be mixed with messages.

The basic function of block ciphers is to keep messages or stored data secret; the intent is that an unauthorised person be completely unable to read the enciphered material. Block ciphers therefore use a key and are designed to be hard to read without that key. Of course an attacker's intent is exactly the opposite; he wants to read the material without authorisation, and often without the key. See cryptanalysis for his methods.

Among the best-known and most widely used block ciphers are two US government standards. The Data Encryption Standard (DES) from the 1970s is now considered obsolete; the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) replaced it in 2002. To choose the new standard, the National Institute of Standards and Technology ran an AES competition. Fifteen ciphers were entered, five finalists selected, and eventually AES chosen. Text below gives an overview; for details of the process and the criteria, and descriptions of all fifteen candidates, see the AES competition article.

These standards greatly influenced the design of other block ciphers, and the latter part of this article is divided into sections based on that. DES and alternatives describes 20th century block ciphers, all with the 64-bit block size of DES. The AES generation describes the next generation, the first 21st century ciphers, all with the 128-bit block size of AES. Large-block ciphers covers a few special cases that do not fit in the other sections.


.... (read more)