An Information Theoretic Framework to Analyze Molecular Communication Systems Based on Statistical Mechanics

Akyildiz, Ian F. and Pierobon, Massimiliano and Balasubramaniam, Sasitharan (2019) An Information Theoretic Framework to Analyze Molecular Communication Systems Based on Statistical Mechanics. Proceedings of the IEEE, 107 (7). pp. 1230-1255. ISSN 0018-9219

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Abstract

Over the past 10 years, molecular communication (MC) has established itself as a key transformative paradigm in communication theory. Inspired by chemical communications in biological systems, the focus of this discipline is on the modeling, characterization, and engineering of information transmission through molecule exchange, with immediate applications in biotechnology, medicine, ecology, and defense, among others. Despite a plethora of diverse contributions, which has been published on the subject by the research community, a general framework to study the performance of MC systems is currently missing. This paper aims at filling this gap by providing an analysis of the physical processes underlying MC, along with their information-theoretic underpinnings. In particular, a mathematical framework is proposed to define the main functional blocks in MC, supported by general models from chemical kinetics and statistical mechanics. In this framework, the Langevin equation is utilized as a unifying modeling tool for molecule propagation in MC systems, and as the core of a methodology to determine the information capacity. Diverse MC systems are classified on the basis of the processes underlying molecule propagation, and their contribution in the Langevin equation. The classifications and the systems under each category are as follows: random walk (calcium signaling, neuron communication, and bacterial quorum sensing), drifted random walk (cardiovascular system, microfluidic systems, and pheromone communication), and active transport (molecular motors and bacterial chemotaxis). For each of these categories, a general information capacity expression is derived under simplifying assumptions and subsequently discussed in light of the specific functional blocks of more complex MC systems. Finally, in light of the proposed framework, a roadmap is envisioned for the future of MC as a discipline.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Funding Information: This work was supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant CISE CNS-1763969 and Grant CCF-1816969 and in part by the Science Foundation Ireland through the SFI VistaMilk research centre (16/RC/3835) and CONNECT research centre (13/RC/2077). Funding Information: Manuscript received December 2, 2018; revised June 10, 2019; accepted June 27, 2019. Date of current version July 19, 2019. This work was supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant CISE CNS-1763969 and Grant CCF-1816969 and in part by the Science Foundation Ireland through the SFI VistaMilk research centre (16/RC/3835) and CONNECT research centre (13/RC/2077). (Corresponding author: Massimiliano Pierobon.) I. F. Akyildiz is with the Broadband Wireless Networking Laboratory, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA (e-mail: ian@ece.gatech.edu). M. Pierobon is with the Molecular and Biochemical Telecommunications Laboratory, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588 USA (e-mail: pierobon@cse.unl.edu). S. Balasubramaniam is with the Telecommunication Software and Systems Group, Waterford Institute of Technology, X91 P20H Waterford, Ireland, and also with the Department of Electronic and Communication Engineering, Tampere University of Technology, 33720 Tampere, Finland (e-mail: sasib@tssg.org). Publisher Copyright: © 2019 IEEE.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1700
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Depositing User:	Admin SSL
Date Deposited:	19 Oct 2022 23:01
Last Modified:	29 Jul 2023 19:10
URI:	http://repository-testing.wit.ie/id/eprint/3629

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