Sub-THz Physical Layer Research
Physical-layer techniques for wireless links operating in the sub-terahertz band, developed within BRAVE.
Scope of the sub-THz work
BRAVE is a collaborative research project started in January 2018 that aims at creating new physical-layer (PHY) techniques devoted to beyond-5G wireless communications. The sub-THz strand examines how radio signals behave when carrier frequencies move well beyond the bands used by current mobile networks.
The band offers wide contiguous spectrum, which is attractive for very high data rates. Propagation losses, atmospheric absorption and hardware limits, however, shape almost every design decision, and the work addresses these constraints directly.
Side note: wide bandwidth is only useful if the link budget and the transceiver can support it. Both are treated as design inputs from the start.
Research focus areas
Propagation and channel measurement
Measurement campaigns characterise path loss, blockage and multipath behaviour at sub-THz frequencies. The resulting channel models inform waveform and coding choices.
Transceiver impairments
Phase noise, power amplifier nonlinearity and oscillator drift become dominant at high frequencies. The project develops compensation methods that keep the link reliable at low complexity.
- Realistic channel models for indoor and outdoor scenarios
- Impairment-aware modulation and detection
- Reference evaluation methodology for PHY comparisons
Work plan
Phase 1
Channel characterisation
Collection and analysis of propagation data to define the reference channels used by the rest of the project.
Phase 2
Algorithm design
Development of PHY schemes that tolerate impairments typical of sub-THz hardware.
Phase 3
Validation
Comparison of candidate techniques under common conditions, with results reported in the project publications.
Laboratory and simulation views
Common questions
Higher bands provide contiguous spectrum that existing allocations cannot offer, which supports very high throughput for specific use cases.
Sub-THz results feed into the usage scenarios and into waveform studies, so that PHY choices are tested against concrete requirements.
Peer-reviewed outputs are listed on the publications page, with methodology notes available to readers.
Related reading: Beyond-5G usage scenarios and Single-carrier waveform design. Full output list on publications.