With as much as 100 times the data-carrying capacity of microwaves, terahertz frequencies are being targeted for the next generation of wireless. But, the line-of-sight propagation of frequencies that are higher on the spectrum can easily be blocked.
“We want more data per second,” said Daniel Mittleman, a professor in Brown’s School of Engineering. “If you want to do that, you need more bandwidth, and that bandwidth simply doesn’t exist using conventional frequency bands.”
In a breakthrough that could assist 6G, researchers at Brown University have developed a new propagation method that curves terahertz waves around obstacles instead of being blocked by them, according to a new study published in Communications Engineering.
“This is the world’s first curved data link, a critical milestone in realizing the 6G vision of high data rate and high reliability,” said Edward Knightly, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University and co-author of the study with Mittleman.
The concept of self-accelerating beams is introduced in the study, which is a special configuration of electromagnetic waves that naturally bend or curve to one side as they move through space. The beams have been studied at optical frequencies but are now explored for terahertz communication.
“The researchers used this idea as a jumping off point,” the university said. “They engineered transmitters with carefully designed patterns so that the system can manipulate the strength, intensity and timing of the electromagnetic waves that are produced. With this ability to manipulate the light, the researchers make the waves work together more effectively to maintain the signal when a solid object blocks a portion of the beam.”
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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