Relay-assisted nanoscale communication in the THz band

The bit error rate (BER) performance of a cooperative relaying transmission scheme for wireless nanosensor networks in the terahertz (THz) band is investigated. Nanosensor networks comprising several graphene-based devices deployed at the nanoscale are considered. Both amplify-and-forward (AF) and decode-and-forward (DF) relaying modes are studied. A line-of-sight (LOS) channel model in the THz band is considered which takes into account both spreading loss and molecular absorption loss. Given the high path loss and level of noise from significant random fluctuations through the THz channel, relay-assisted schemes offer advantages in terms of significant performance improvements. To quantify the likely benefits, the predicted BER of the proposed scheme is derived. A simulation of the proposed relay schemes based on the THz LOS channel model utilising a Monte Carlo method is conducted. The results obtained show that a performance improvement of 2.2 dB for AF and of 5 dB for DF is achievable at a target BER of 10(-5).