Characterization of Terahertz Band Transmittance from Sea-Level to Drone Altitudes

Abstract

Terahertz (THz) communications has been recognized as a candidate technology for the next generation networks as the THz band offers large bandwidth and data rates, catering for the problem of spectrum scarcity. However, THz band propagation is highly affected by atmospheric absorption due to water vapor molecules, in addition to the high spread loss. Modeling of the absorption loss is essential for a realistic closed form THz path loss model, which can be employed in link level analysis and formulations. For this purpose, in this paper, we characterize the THz transmittance i.e., absorption gain using the data obtained from Line-by-Line Radiative Transfer Model (LBLRTM) tool, considering the available frequency channels selected via water-filling, altitudes from sea-level to drone altitudes and various transmission ranges. We analyze the modeling of transmittance as a function of: (1) Frequency, (2) Distance and (3) Altitude, using different statistical models including, Polynomial, Exponential and Gaussian models. Numerical results depict that modeling transmittance as a function of distance and altitude are feasible approaches using the exponential and the polynomial models, respectively. This work can be extended to characterize the transmittance for all frequencies over the entire THz band, and also for higher altitudes and longer ranges.