Invited Article: Channel performance for indoor and outdoor terahertz wireless links

Jianjun Ma,Rabi Shrestha,Lothar Moeller,Daniel M Mittleman

doi:10.1063/1.5014037

Jianjun Ma, Rabi Shrestha + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5014037

Copy DOI

Abstract

One of the most exciting future applications of terahertz technology is in the area of wireless communications. As 5G systems incorporating a standard for millimeter-wave wireless links approach commercial roll-out, it is becoming clear that even this new infrastructure will not be sufficient to keep pace with the rapidly increasing global demand for bandwidth. One favorable solution that is attracting increasing attention for subsequent generations of wireless technology is to use higher frequencies, above 100 GHz. The implementation of such links will require significant advances in hardware, algorithms, and architecture. Although numerous research groups are exploring aspects of this challenging problem, many basic questions remain unaddressed. Here, we present an experimental effort to characterize THz wireless links in both indoor and outdoor environments. We report measurements at 100, 200, 300, and 400 GHz, using a link with a data rate of 1 Gbit/s. We demonstrate both line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight (specular reflection) links off of interior building walls. This work represents a first step to establish the feasibility of using THz carrier waves for data transmission in diverse situations and environments.

Highlights

Global mobile data traffic has seen explosive growth over the past few years and is predicted to reach to 49 exabytes per month by 2021,1 with growth driven largely by the rise of the Internet-ofThings.[2]
We present a series of link measurements at several discrete frequencies over a wide spectral range, under a number of different realistic conditions
We observe that indoor links are quite robust, even when one or two specular NLOS reflections are included

Summary

This paper was selected as Featured

ARTICLES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN Tutorial: Terahertz beamforming, from concepts to realizations APL Photonics 3, 051101 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5011063 Review of terahertz and subterahertz wireless communications Journal of Applied Physics 107, 111101 (2010); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3386413 Perspective: Terahertz science and technology Journal of Applied Physics 122, 230901 (2017); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5007683 Jianjun Ma,[1] Rabi Shrestha,[1] Lothar Moeller,[2] and Daniel M. Mittleman1 1School of Engineering, Brown University, 184 Hope Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA 2Department of Physics, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 323 King Blvd., Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA (Received 14 November 2017; accepted 2 January 2018; published online 6 February 2018)

INTRODUCTION

TH INDOOR WIRELESS LINK MEASUREMENTS

CONCLUSIONS