Graduate Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Massimiliano Pierobon
Date of this Version
Summer 7-31-2020
Citation
M. Lee, “A Comparison Between Quantum Communication and Molecular Communication,” thesis, 2020.
Abstract
Quantum Communication (QC) was first developed nearly 50 years ago and has since been studied in detail, with applications in Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and quantum computing. Molecular Communication (MC) is a much newer field, and as it continues to emerge in greater detail, one may hope to bring in ideas from other areas of study, such as QC, in order to achieve a greater understanding of both fields and the applications thereof. This thesis focuses on the comparison of QC and MC systems and gives a detailed review of their structures. This is achieved by comparing quantum information with classical (or molecular) information, then by comparing the channels and their respective channel capacities, and finally comparing the types of devices and applications used by each system. Similarities among the two systems include: comparable Shannon Entropy and von Neumann Entropy equations; similar structures of the transmitters and receivers; and parallel behaviors since a measurement destroys the information in both. Numerical results show that the classical capacity of a quantum channel is always greater than the molecular Z-channel capacity when plotted vs. the error rate. This shows that we can send more information through the classical information over quantum channel than through the molecular Z-channel. Based on these findings, we can conclude that MC may have much to learn from QC, and we open the doors to more interdisciplinary research between quantum and molecular scientists in the hopes to lead to a universal understanding of the world we live in. In this way, we hope to bring together the disciplines of QC and MC.
Adviser: Massimiliano Pierobon
Comments
A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science, Major: Computer Science, Under the Supervision of Professor Massimiliano Pierobon. Lincoln, Nebraska: May, 2020
Copyright 2020 Molly A. Lee