Light/matter interactions: A novel simulation platform for intra-body nanoscale optical communications

摘要

In vivo Wireless Nanosensor Networks (iWNSNs) are communicating nano-devices with the capability of operating inside the human body, allowing for in vivo monitoring, diagnosis and operation. Through the use of iWNSNs new opportunities to monitor human biology become available on a cellular and subcellular level. To fully grasp and execute the capabilities of such technology in the human body, the propagation of electromagnetic waves need to be modeled by taking into consideration the dynamics of the cells at the nanoscale. Previous simulations have been done but on a platform that lacks modularity, dynamism, and velocity. In this paper, a new simulation platform based on Python coding language is proposed to provide an improved optofluidic communication channel model by taking into account all the peculiarities of the light/matter interactions at the nanoscale inside the human body. This involves a 2D matrix where each entry represents a small biological sub-area with its dielectric constant based on the electromagnetic properties of the material. A vector is then calculated for each element of the matrix which includes the magnitude, phase and direction of the optical wave being propagated at that particular point. This simulation method is further specialized to model the light propagation inside the human blood vessel and is validated with COMSOL Multiphysics simulations. The proposed platform paves the way for channel modeling and further developments of in vivo wireless communication.