Measurement and Modeling on Terahertz Channel Propagation Through Vegetation

TL;DR

This paper investigates terahertz channel propagation through vegetation, revealing vegetation-induced angular-dependent losses, heavy-tailed fading statistics, and seasonal variations, and proposes a hybrid modeling approach validated by extensive measurements.

Contribution

It introduces a hybrid deterministic-stochastic model for THz vegetation channels, incorporating heavy-tailed statistics and seasonal effects, validated by comprehensive laboratory and outdoor measurements.

Findings

Vegetation causes angular-dependent power losses.

Channel statistics follow heavy-tailed Stable distributions.

Seasonal and height-dependent variations significantly affect attenuation.

Abstract

The terahertz band offers promising opportunities for high-capacity wireless communications but faces significant challenges from vegetation-induced channel impairments. This article presents a comprehensive investigation of THz channel propagation through vegetation, introducing a hybrid modeling approach that combines deterministic vegetation dependent exponential decay modeling with statistical characterization of temporal variations. Through extensive laboratory measurements using Epipremnum aureum, we find that vegetation introduces angular-dependent power losses, with channel statistics following heavy tailed Stable distributions rather than conventional Rician or Weibull models. Our outdoor measurements with dense and sparse lilac scenarios reveal pronounced seasonal variations in attenuation and height-dependent effects, while validating the VED model's ability to maintain excellent agreement with measured data and parameter stability across different heights. Critical bit error rate analysis uncovers distinct SNR thresholds beyond which performance exhibits oscillatory behavior due to heavy-tailed fading, with significant implications for modulation scheme selection and power control strategies in practical THz communication systems.