Reflection Channel Model for Terahertz Communications

TL;DR

This paper develops and validates a reflection channel model for terahertz communications, focusing on non-line of sight links with reflections off metal and wood, including standing wave effects and phase prediction accuracy.

Contribution

It extends previous line of sight models to include non-line of sight reflections with standing wave and phase modeling, validated by measurements at 320-480 GHz.

Findings

Excellent agreement between model and empirical data

Accurate phase prediction model for 320-480 GHz

Effective modeling of reflections off metal and wood

Abstract

Terahertz frequencies are an untapped resource for providing high-speed short-range communications. As a result, it is of interest to study the propagation characteristics of terahertz waves and to develop channel models. In previous work we used a measurement-based approach to develop an accurate channel model for line of sight (LoS) links. In this paper we extend that work by developing channel models for non-line of sight (NLoS) links where the signal suffers one reflection. We study reflections that occur off a metal plate as well as a piece of wood. Our model for received magnitude includes the effects of standing waves that develop between the transmitter and receiver. Measurements show an excellent agreement between empirical data and the model. In addition, we have analyzed the received phase of the reflected signal at frequencies in the range 320- 480 GHz. We observed a linear error between the predicted and actual phase and developed a model to accommodate that discrepancy. The final model we have developed for predicting received phase is very accurate for the entire range 320 - 480 GHz and for both materials.