Deterministic Model for Pulse Amplification in Diffusion-Based Molecular Communication

Abstract

In molecular communication, molecules are used to transmit information from a nanotransmitter to a nanoreceiver. In many molecular communication applications, the primary aim is to send a single pulse to trigger a response at the receiver. As such, the transmitter can emit a puff of information molecules that will freely diffuse in a fluidic environment. In free-diffusion-based communication, the maximum achievable pulse level rapidly decreases with increasing distance. Therefore, signal conditioning is usually necessary for effective processing at a distant receiver. We use Fick's diffusion equation to model pulse amplification, which is an important stage in signal conditioning. We consider the existence of an intermediate amplifying nanodevice that reacts to a given particle concentration condition by emitting the same type of particles as the transmitter. Our development differs from an ordinary problem in partial differential equations with two independent instantaneous point sources; here, by coupling the activation of the amplifier to the operation of the transmitting source, we determine the required particle allocations at these devices for optimal signal reception.