Authenticating and identifying objects using nanoparticles

1 . A computer-readable storage medium comprising executable code to:

derive an index based on an authentication image of a marking;

select a reference image on the marking based on the index;

compare the authentication image with the reference image to determine whether the authentication image matches the reference image; and

produce an indication of authenticity based on whether the authentication image matches the reference image.

2 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the authentication image includes a representation of a spatial pattern included in the marking, and the executable code to derive the index includes executable code to derive the index based on the representation of the spatial pattern.

3 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2 , wherein the spatial pattern corresponds to at least one of a bar code, a numeric, a logo, and a text.

4 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , further comprising executable code to:

derive the index based on the reference image; and

store the reference image with respect to the index.

5 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the authentication image includes a first representation of an array of nanoparticles included in the marking, the reference image includes a second representation of the array of nanoparticles, aid the executable code to compare the authentication image with the reference image includes executable code to compare the first representation with the second representation.

6 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the first representation corresponds to a first photoluminescence pattern produced by the array of nanoparticles, and the second representation corresponds to a second photoluminescence pattern produced by the array of nanoparticles.