Nonlinear hybrid chaos and quantum state vectors: a new color image crypt framework

This study integrates the distinct advantages of chaos theory and quantum image cryptography, leveraging properties such as determinism, ergodicity, superposition, and sensitivity to initial conditions to enhance parallelism, robustness, and computational efficiency. We introduce a novel hybrid chaotic system termed the Three-Dimensional Cos-Sine-Tangent (3D-CST) map for generating highly unpredictable chaotic sequences. These sequences serve as the foundation for a quantum-based encryption framework designed to strengthen security. The encryption process begins by producing key sequences through the proposed 3D-CST map, which are then employed in the stages of confusion and diffusion. In the confusion stage, the individual RGB channels of the input image are independently scrambled. The resulting permuted channels are transformed into quantum state vectors, which are subsequently diffused using the derived chaotic sequences. This method offers a new perspective on integrating quantum mechanisms with chaos-based image encryption. Extensive simulations and comparative evaluations, including statistical and correlation analyses, demonstrate that the proposed quantum-chaotic cryptographic scheme achieves strong encryption performance and operational efficiency.