Random discrete linear canonical transform

Linear canonical transforms (LCTs) are a family of integral transforms with wide applications in optical, acoustical, electromagnetic, and other wave propagation problems. In this paper, we propose the random discrete linear canonical transform (RDLCT) by randomizing the kernel transform matrix of the discrete linear canonical transform (DLCT). The RDLCT inherits excellent mathematical properties from the DLCT along with some fantastic features of its own. It has a greater degree of randomness because of the randomization in terms of both eigenvectors and eigenvalues. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the RDLCT has an important feature that the magnitude and phase of its output are both random. As an important application of the RDLCT, it can be used for image encryption. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed encryption method is a security-enhanced image encryption scheme.