Resources

Name	Description
Kachina – Foundations of Private Smart Contracts research paper by Thomas Kerber, Prof Aggelos Kiayias, and Markulf Kohlweiss. June/2021, CSF '21	The paper provides a unified security model for smart contracts with data protection features based on the Universal Composition model, and proposes Kachina, a novel core protocol for deploying data-protecting smart contracts.
Zswap: zk-SNARK Based Non-Interactive Multi-Asset Swaps research paper by Felix Engelmann, Thomas Kerber, Markulf Kohlweiss, and Mikhail Volkhov. July/2022, PoPETs '22	The paper presents Zswap, a transaction scheme based on ZK Snarks, enabling merged transactions while preserving data confidentiality. The protocol supports multiple assets and atomic exchanges, and utilizes sparse homomorphic commitments, aggregated open randomness, and Zcash-friendly NIZK proofs. This results in a secure and efficient transaction protocol with data protecting features.

IOG research of zero-knowledge technology

During its development of Midnight, Input Output Global (IOG) recognized the paramount significance of zero-knowledge proofs in the realm of blockchain technology. With its establishment of ZK-Lab in 2022, IOG solidifies its commitment to researching the foundations and applications of ZK technology, prioritizing security and performance. This investment is exemplified by collaborations with esteemed research institutions.

Below is a list of relevant research in addition to the papers listed above.

Name	Description
Models for Generation of Proof Forest in zk-SNARK Based Sidechains research paper by Yuri Bespalov, Lyudmila Kovalchuk, Hanna Nelasa, Prof Roman Oliynykov, and Rob Viglione. March/2023	The paper explores the application of zero-knowledge techniques (such as Latus and Mina) for creating sidechains to enhance scalability and functionality of the main blockchain. The paper addresses the challenges of maintaining decentralization while ensuring high security and throughput through decentralized creation of zero-knowledge proof trees.
What Makes Fiat–Shamir zk-SNARKs (Updatable SRS) Simulation Extractable? research paper by Chaya Ganesh, Hamidreza Khoshakhlagh, Markulf Kohlweiss, Anca Nitulescu, and Michał Zając. September/2022, SCN '22	The paper demonstrates that popular universal zero-knowledge Snarks (Plonk, Sonic, and Marlin) can be used as updatable structured reference string (SRS) simulation extractable NIZKs and signatures of knowledge (SoK) without any additional compilation overhead. The paper generalizes results for the Fiat-Shamir (FS) transformation, which converts interactive protocols into signature schemes or non-interactive proof systems, and analyzes multi-round FS for arguments with an SRS.
Agile Cryptography: A Composable Approach research paper by Christian Badertscher, Michele Ciampi, and Prof Aggelos Kiayias. October/2022	The paper introduces a novel framework for cryptographic agility – ‘updatable ideal functionality,’ within the universal composition model. This framework enables the expression of security properties expected from cryptographic primitive updates, including retaining security properties during implementation updates.
Mining for Privacy: How to Bootstrap a Snarky Blockchain research paper by Thomas Kerber, Prof Aggelos Kiayias, and Markulf Kohlweiss. March/2021, Financial Cryptography 2021	The paper presents a blockchain mechanism for producing a secure structured reference string that is crucial for the functioning of ZK Snarks. The proposed mechanism ensures security under the same conditions as the underlying blockchain protocol, eliminating the need for additional security assumptions or off-chain computation.
Zendoo: a zk-SNARK Verifiable Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol Enabling Decoupled and Decentralized Sidechains research paper by Alberto Garoffolo, Dmytro Kaidalov, and Prof Roman Oliynykov. November/2020, BlockApp 2020	The paper introduces Zendoo, a construction for Bitcoin-like blockchain systems that facilitates the creation and communication with different types of sidechains while maintaining privacy and security. Zendoo establishes a parent-child relationship between the mainchain and sidechains, allowing sidechain nodes to observe the mainchain while mainchain nodes only rely on authenticated certificates from sidechain maintainers. The system utilizes ZK Snarks to create a universal verifiable transfer mechanism for sidechains.
Timed Signatures and Zero-Knowledge Proofs –Timestamping in the Blockchain Era– research paper by Aydin Abadi, Michele Ciampi, Prof Aggelos Kiayias, and Vassilis Zikas. October/2020, ACNS '20	The paper presents the first formal treatment of timestamping cryptographic primitives in the universal composability framework with respect to a global clock, denoted as ‘timed’ primitives. The paper introduces timed versions of commonly used primitives like digital signatures, non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs, and signatures of knowledge, and demonstrates how these timed primitives can be securely implemented using a protocol with ideal access to a global transaction ledger.
Sonic: zk-SNARKs from Linear-Size Universal and Updateable Structured Reference Strings research paper by Mary Maller, Sean Bowe, Markulf Kohlweiss, and Sarah Meiklejohn. November/2019, ACM CCS 2019	The paper introduces Sonic, a ZK Snark that addresses privacy and scalability concerns in cryptocurrencies and other applications. Sonic supports a universal and continually updateable structured reference string that scales linearly in size, making proofs constant size. The verification complexity is comparable to the most efficient Snarks in the literature, particularly in batch verification scenarios.
Game theory analysis of incentive distribution for prompt generation of the proof tree in zk-SNARK based sidechains research paper by Yuri Bespalov, Lyudmila Kovalchuk, Hanna Nelasa, Prof Roman Oliynykov, and Alberto Garoffolo. September/2022, ICCST '22	The paper explores the incentive distribution in proof trees for Snark-based sidechains with Latus consensus. Game theory instruments are employed to study the stable and efficient block generation process. Two models are considered: one with a single sidechain and another with multiple sidechains, allowing provers to switch between them to maximize their incentives.
Probability Models of Distributed Proof Generation for zk-SNARK-Based Blockchains research paper by Yuri Bespalov, Alberto Garoffolo, Lyudmila Kovalchuk, Hanna Nelasa, and Prof Roman Oliynykov. November/2021, Mathematics 2021 9(23)	The paper focuses on investigating the distributed proof generation process using recursive ZK Snarks, organized in perfect Merkle trees, particularly in the context of Latus consensus protocol for ZK Snarks-based sidechains.

For more details, search ‘zero-knowledge’ in the IOG research library.