Research image credits

Ion Trap

Blakestad/NIST. Original source; license or reuse terms.

A NIST ion trap used in quantum-logic experiments reported in 2015. A future attack on Bitcoin signatures would require far more reliable quantum computation; this apparatus is not a Bitcoin-breaking machine.

Local file: bitcoin-quantum-computing-ion-trap.webp. Proportional resize where needed and WebP conversion; no crop or change to depicted content. Prepared September 21, 2026.

NIST does not endorse SYNX. Reuse follows the source-specific credit and NIST public-information policy; this does not extend to separately copyrighted stock material.

QKD receiver

G. Porter/NIST. Original source; license or reuse terms.

Historical QKD equipment photographed in 2005: the receiver collects photons through a telescope. This illustrates the physical equipment behind QKD, unlike the software algorithms used for post-quantum signatures.

Local file: quantum-key-distribution-nist-receiver.webp. Proportional resize where needed and WebP conversion; no crop or change to depicted content. Prepared September 21, 2026.

NIST does not endorse SYNX. Reuse follows the source-specific credit and NIST public-information policy; this does not extend to separately copyrighted stock material.

Bitcoin mining farm

Marko Ahtisaari. Original source; license or reuse terms.

Conventional Bitcoin mining equipment, photographed in 2014. Quantum-mining proposals must compete with a real proof-of-work network; this photograph does not show a quantum miner.

Local file: bitcoin-mining-farm-conventional-hardware.webp. Proportional resize where needed and WebP conversion; no crop or change to depicted content. Prepared September 21, 2026.

BIP 360

BIP 360 authors: Hunter Beast, Ethan Heilman and Isabel Foxen Duke. Original source; license or reuse terms.

The BIP 360 diagram shows how proposed P2MR spending conditions commit to a script-tree Merkle root. BIP 360 remains a draft; this is a proposed construction, not proof of activation.

Local file: bitcoin-bip360-p2mr-merkle-tree.webp. Proportional resize where needed and WebP conversion; no crop or change to depicted content. Prepared September 21, 2026.

The BIP 360 document declares BSD-3-Clause. Credit and copyright attribution: BIP 360 authors, Hunter Beast, Ethan Heilman and Isabel Foxen Duke. Source revision.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

Blockchain landscape

Theymos; vectorization by Razorbliss; landscape version by Alexis Jazz. Original source; license or reuse terms.

A conventional blockchain schematic: green marks the genesis block, black the main chain and purple blocks outside that chain. This structure alone does not establish quantum resistance; transaction-signature rules must be checked separately.

Local file: blockchain-main-chain-and-forks.svg. SVG file unchanged. Prepared September 21, 2026.

PQC foundations

N. Hanacek/NIST. Original source; license or reuse terms.

Hash-based and lattice-based constructions use different mathematical foundations. NIST’s 2022 illustration provides context for the signature and key-encapsulation families discussed here.

Local file: nist-lattice-hash-post-quantum.webp. Proportional resize where needed and WebP conversion; no crop or change to depicted content. Prepared September 21, 2026.

NIST does not endorse SYNX. Reuse follows the source-specific credit and NIST public-information policy; this does not extend to separately copyrighted stock material.

Coin Cryptography

N. Hanacek/NIST. Original source; license or reuse terms.

NIST’s 2019 conceptual illustration of post-quantum cryptography. For a coin comparison, examine the mathematics, implementation and network rules rather than relying on a quantum-themed name.

Local file: nist-post-quantum-cryptography-2019.webp. Proportional resize where needed and WebP conversion; no crop or change to depicted content. Prepared September 21, 2026.

NIST does not endorse SYNX. Reuse follows the source-specific credit and NIST public-information policy; this does not extend to separately copyrighted stock material.