Measurement and Modeling of Structure-Induced Surface Scattering on Terahertz Channel

TL;DR

This paper investigates how indoor surface structures and materials affect terahertz signal scattering, combining experiments and modeling to improve understanding of indoor THz channel behavior for wireless communication.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive experimental and theoretical analysis of structure-induced surface scattering in indoor THz channels, highlighting the impact of material properties and structural configurations.

Findings

Quasi-periodic wood structures induce measurable angular scattering.

Thin dielectric layers significantly alter reflection characteristics.

Structured indoor elements can enhance angular scattering and coverage.

Abstract

As terahertz (THz) frequencies emerge as promising candidates for next-generation wireless networks, accurate characterization of propagation mechanisms in indoor/outdoor environments becomes essential for system design and performance optimization. This article presents an experimental and theoretical investigation of structure-induced indoor surface scattering on THz channels, examining how material properties and structural configurations jointly govern channel power and angular distribution. Six representative indoor surfaces are characterized, revealing that intrinsic structural inhomogeneity -- particularly the quasi-periodic earlywood-latewood arrangement in pine wood -- induces measurable angular scattering whose dominant lobes and angular shifts are reproduced by a beam-propagation modeling (BPM) framework. Material-covered surface configurations are further investigated, demonstrating that thin dielectric covering layers can substantially modify reflection characteristics through thickness- and frequency- dependent thin-film interference effects. Wide-angle bistatic measurements conducted in a conference-room environment reveal that structured indoor elements, such as folded curtains, can enhance angular scattering and extend spatial coverage. These findings establish that structure-induced surface scattering mechanisms offer potential for constructing non-line-of-sight THz links in indoor environments.