A Real-Time Ultra-broadband Software-Defined Radio Platform for Terahertz Communications

Wireless communication in the terahertz band (100 GHz to 10 THz) is envisioned as a critical building block of 6G wireless systems, due to the very large available channel bandwidth above 100 GHz. Thanks to the narrowing of the so-called terahertz technology gap, several platforms for experimental terahertz communication research have been recently developed. However, these are mostly channel sounding or physical layer testbeds that rely on off-line signal processing. In order to research and develop upper networking layers, it is necessary to have a real-time platform that can process bandwidths of at least a few gigahertz. In this paper, a software-defined radio platform that is able to operate in real-time with up to 8 GHz of bandwidth at 130 GHz is demonstrated for the first time.

Automated summary

Wireless communication in the terahertz band is considered a crucial component of 6G wireless systems due to the large available channel bandwidth. Recently, various experimental platforms for terahertz communication research have been developed, but most of them rely on offline signal processing. This paper presents a real-time software-defined radio platform that can operate at 130 GHz with up to 8 GHz of bandwidth, enabling research and development of upper networking layers.