A Study of Diffuse Scattering in Massive MIMO Channels at Terahertz Frequencies

The use of massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems is becoming progressively feasible, as well as progressively important, as the carrier frequency increases. Terahertz (THz) frequencies lead to smaller-sized RF components including antennas, so that even antenna arrays with a large number of antennas have a reasonable form factor while providing large beamforming gain and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) capability. However, the THz propagation mechanisms differ in various ways from previously explored channels. In fact, reflections by a rough surface and diffuse scattering mechanisms are the most critical features contributing to spatial and temporal dispersion at THz frequencies. For this article, first, we develop a hybrid modeling approach of 3-D ray-tracing simulations in a realistic office room at 300 and 350 GHz to obtain estimates of the impact of surface roughness on the channel capacity which depends on generic channel characteristics. Then, the indoor multipath propagation and its impact on massive MIMO channels considering smooth and rough surfaces are investigated by employing the Beckmann-Kirchhoff (B-K) model. Finally, channel capacities of indoor THz massive MIMO channels with different surface roughnesses for both line-of-sight (LoS) and non-LoS (NLoS) scenarios are calculated. Though based on modeling results, the scattering properties of materials can favorably be exploited to maximize spatial multiplexing gains, especially in LoS scenarios.