Abstract: For identifying an original object comprising a surface essentially made of a first substance in a forgery-proof way, atoms of a second substance not soluble in the first substance are deposited on the surface. The surface is subjected to a beam of energized atoms providing movability to the atoms of the second substance in the surface to allow for a nucleation of a phase separation of a phase, in which the atoms of the second substance are concentrated. Then, an image of a surface pattern originating from the nucleation of the phase separation is taken and stored as a identifier for the original object. When a comparison image of a surface pattern of some object supposed to be the original object is compared to the identifier, the object is confirmed as being the original object, if the surface patterns in the identifier and the comparison image are identical.

Abstract: For identifying an original object comprising a surface essentially made of a first substance in a forgery-proof way, atoms of a second substance not soluble in the first substance are deposited on the surface. The surface is subjected to a beam of energized atoms providing movability to the atoms of the second substance in the surface to allow for a nucleation of a phase separation of a phase, in which the atoms of the second substance are concentrated. Then, an image of a surface pattern originating from the nucleation of the phase separation is taken and stored as a identifier for the original object. When a comparison image of a surface pattern of some object supposed to be the original object is compared to the identifier, the object is confirmed as being the original object, if the surface patterns in the identifier and the comparison image are identical.