Solution box: SOLBOX-16: Nano-link systems

The topic of SOLBOX-08 in the September 2017 issue of the URSI Radio Science Bulletin designed effective nano-couplers that consisted of nanoparticles to improve electromagnetic power transmission along bent nanowire systems [1]. It was shown that by finding optimal nanoparticle configurations and arrangements it was possible to significantly improve transmission, even for nanowires with sharp corners. For this purpose, genetic algorithms were employed to perform on/off (1/0) optimization on given nanoparticle grids. Even though they were compact, the designed nano-couplers could be so effective that they mitigated the need for smoothly curved bends that often wasted the available physical space. We note that nano-couplers also reduce cross-talk between different nanowire transmission lines, as they suppress diffracted waves at the bending locations [2].