Analyzing Large-Scale Multiuser Molecular Communication via 3D Stochastic Geometry

TL;DR

This paper develops a novel analytical model for large-scale 3D molecular communication systems with randomly distributed transmitters, providing insights into signal strength and error probability, and highlighting the benefits of molecule degradation.

Contribution

It introduces the first tractable stochastic geometry-based model for 3D large-scale molecular communication with random transmitter placement, including degradation effects.

Findings

Signal strength scales with transmitter density.

Molecule degradation improves bit error probability.

Analytical expressions for absorption and observation are derived.

Abstract

Information delivery using chemical molecules is an integral part of biology at multiple distance scales and has attracted recent interest in bioengineering and communication theory. Potential applications include cooperative networks with a large number of simple devices that could be randomly located (e.g., due to mobility). This paper presents the first tractable analytical model for the collective signal strength due to randomly-placed transmitters in a three-dimensional (3D) large-scale molecular communication system, either with or without degradation in the propagation environment. Transmitter locations in an unbounded and homogeneous fluid are modelled as a homogeneous Poisson point process. By applying stochastic geometry, analytical expressions are derived for the expected number of molecules absorbed by a fully-absorbing receiver or observed by a passive receiver. The bit error probability is derived under ON/OFF keying and either a constant or adaptive decision threshold. Results reveal that the combined signal strength increases proportionately with the transmitter density, and the minimum bit error probability can be improved by introducing molecule degradation. Furthermore, the analysis of the system can be generalized to other receiver designs and other performance characteristics in large-scale molecular communication systems.