Channel Characteristics of Multi-Hop FRET-Based Molecular Communication

In this paper, we propose an analysis of the transmission success probability in a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based molecular communication system. FRET is an energy transmission process between molecules in close proximity without radiation of a photon. Since FRET has low dependency on environmental factors and a relatively wide transmission range, it has become a promising means of propagation in molecular communication. However, the limited availability of current research in the literature hampers comprehensive understanding of FRET capabilities in the context of wireless communication in general and molecular communication specifically. In this paper, we model a FRET-based communication system with relays and analyze its channel characteristics. We derive a theoretical expression for the successful transmission probability of the system under on-off keying modulation and the corresponding system capacity. Our analysis shows that performance of the proposed FRET system is influenced by parameters that include the FRET rate, the intrinsic fluorescence rate, and symbol duration. Furthermore, our analysis maintains a high level of accuracy, regardless of whether the relays share the same FRET rate or possess different FRET rates. Via simulations our analysis is verified in various environments.