In this work, we put forth a philosophical treatise on a novel paradigm for intangible, on-demand, and power-free aerial communication relaying, for which we coin the term "phantom network." The proposed phantom network aims to temporarily bridge communication gaps between two or more out-of-range communicating devices or infrastructures using aerial nanonodes suspended in atomized aqueous mists. This proposed on-demand shoot-and-scoot communication enabler is of particular interest to scenarios where there is a need for rapid deployment of temporary communication or relaying infrastructures for enabling higher data volume communication networks, primarily associated with military operations. As the conceptualized aerial network is primarily aqueous, its coverage and lifetime are highly dependent on ensuing atmospheric conditions in the deployment area. The possible future use of this proposed paradigm includes establishing temporary infrastructure-free networks during disaster management and battlefield communications. We discuss the design and implementation challenges posed by the intended on-demand aerial nano-network-based communication relaying paradigm, its application horizon, and scope for future work.

中文翻译：

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“幻影网络”：未来军事的无形射击和快速通信范式

在这项工作中，我们提出了关于无形、按需和无功率空中通信中继的新范式的哲学论文，为此我们创造了“幻影网络”一词。拟议的幻影网络旨在使用悬浮在雾化水雾中的空中纳米节点暂时弥合两个或多个超出范围的通信设备或基础设施之间的通信间隙。这种提出的按需拍摄和快速通信使能器特别适用于需要快速部署临时通信或中继基础设施以实现更高数据量通信网络（主要与军事行动相关）的场景。由于概念化的空中网络主要是水性的，其覆盖范围和寿命在很大程度上取决于部署区域随后的大气条件。这个提议的范式未来可能的用途包括在灾难管理和战场通信期间建立临时的无基础设施的网络。我们讨论了基于按需空中纳米网络的通信中继范式、其应用范围和未来工作范围所带来的设计和实施挑战。