A Theoretical Modeling and Analysis of Communication via Heat Flow at Nanoscale

Nanonetworks constructed by interconnecting nanodevices using wireless communication allow the nanodevices to perform more complex functions by means of cooperation between them. For the first time in the literature, a novel and physically realizable nanoscale communication technique is introduced: Nanoscale Heat Communication (NHC) in which the heat transfer is used for communication at the nanoscale. The transmitted information is encoded in temperature signals using Magneto-Caloric Effect (MCE) which is the change in temperature of a magnetic material exposed to a varying magnetic field. Thermal energy emitted or absorbed by a transmitter nanodevice is subject to the laws of thermal diffusion which changes the temperature of the communication medium. The transmitted information is decoded by a receiver nanodevice that senses the temperature variations. Using information theoretical analysis, a closed-form expression for the channel capacity is obtained. According to the performance evaluation of the channel capacity, NHC provides a significantly higher capacity communication compared with the existing molecular communication techniques. Therefore, NHC stands as a promising solution to nanoscale communication between nanomachines based on its channel capacity performance, advantages, and possible applications for the emerging field of nanonetworks.