Integer Factorization

This project lies in an area of mathematics called computational number theory. Specifically, we will be studying the topic of integer factorization. The idea is that all non-prime integers can be factored into a product of smaller integers. While this seems simple, it is computationally difficult and although various factoring algorithms attempt to solve the integer factorization problem, it remains very difficult for large integers. This problem has applications in modern cryptography. In particular, it impacts the security of RSA, which is one of the most widely used public-key cryptosystems. The objective of this project is to learn the underlying theoretical concepts of specific algorithms used for integer factorization. We will focus on general purpose algorithms, with the end goal of gaining a comprehensive understanding of the general number field sieve, which is currently the most efficient algorithm for factoring large integers. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Mark Bauer

Student:

Partner:

University of Hawai'i at M?noa

Discipline:

Mathematics

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Calgary

Program: