The Thermal Impact of THz Signaling in Protein Nanonetworks

Technological advancements in the terahertz (THz) frequency band have resulted in a surge of interest in the fundamental research as well as the practical applications of THz waves in the biomedical domain. In specific, the energy levels of protein vibrations coincide with those of THz waves, which increases the probability of their interaction. Nonetheless, one open research topic in this field involves understanding the thermal effect of THz radiation on protein networks, particularly under resonant conditions. In this work, we adopt the Goldenberg and Tranter heat diffusion model to study the thermal interaction between THz waves and protein molecules. We show that using different THz power levels results in various implications on protein interactions. In addition, we demonstrate the impact of resonance on protein absorption and the fundamental role it plays in increasing the temperature in protein networks. Finally, we numerically verify the analytical framework by building a physical model that mimics the THz-protein interaction using COMSOL Multiphysics®.