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220 GHz Long-Distance Propagation Loss in the Air

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Abstract

Terahertz communications demonstrate advantages of wide bandwidth and low latency compared to the microwave counterparts but suffer from high propagation loss in the air. Little research focuses on long-distance (i.e., distance>1 km) terahertz propagation characteristics in the air, posing challenges on long-distance terahertz wireless applications. In this paper, the terahertz long-distance propagation characteristics are explored and studied with the help of the measurement system operating at 220 GHz. Based on the measurement systems, the outdoor experiments with a propagation distance of 2.5 km are conducted to obtain the terahertz propagation loss in the air. Additionally, a comparison between the measured propagation loss and the calculated one based on models issued by the international telecommunication union (ITU) shows an intrinsic loss gap between these two results, which is found and explained for the first time in the above-100 GHz long-distance communication applications. With the analysis of the collected data, a gap-compensation method is proposed to obtain a more accurate prediction for the propagation loss in the air. With the help of the implemented systems and corresponding measurements, we could give insight into the terahertz propagation and pave the way for future terahertz long-distance applications.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported in part by the NSAF Joint Fund under Grant U2130102, in part by Guangxi Key Laboratory of Wireless Wideband Communication and Signal Processing under Grant GXKL06220203, and in part by the “Siyuan Scholar” Fellowship of XJTU.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Microelectronics, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China

    Ying-Jiang Guo

  2. Allwinner Technology Co., Ltd, Zhuhai, 519000, China

    Ying-Jiang Guo

  3. Microsystem and Terahertz Research Center, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Chengdu, 610000, China

    Ying-Jiang Guo

  4. School of Information and Communications Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

    Kai-Da Xu

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  1. Ying-Jiang Guo
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  2. Kai-Da Xu
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Y.J.G drafted the main manuscript text and K.D.X modified the manuscript. Both authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kai-Da Xu.

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Guo, YJ., Xu, KD. 220 GHz Long-Distance Propagation Loss in the Air. J Infrared Milli Terahz Waves 44, 82–97 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10762-023-00906-5

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