Correlation-Based Channel Measurement and Link-Level Analysis for THz Picocells on a University Street

The Terahertz band, ranging from 0.1 THz to 10 THz, is envisioned as a key technology to realize ultra-high-speed communications in 6G and beyond wireless networks, attributed to its abundant bandwidth resource. Channel measurements and link-level analysis are still missing in a typical use case of THz picocells. In this paper, using a correlation-based time domain channel sounder, channel measurement campaigns are conducted on a university street at 220 GHz. Based on the measurement results, a full portrait of channel characteristics, including path loss, shadow fading, K-factor, delay and angular spreads, as well as cluster parameters, is calculated and analyzed. Comparison with existing 3GPP standard models shows weak multipath effects and strong sparsity in the THz picocell scenario. Moreover, small-scale fading is evaluated and fitted, where a Rician distribution among other competitors shows great fitting performance. Furthermore, considering realistic THz communication links, the ergodic capacity and outage probability are analyzed. Results have shown that more than 150 Gbps channel capacity can be achieved and reliable communication links can be guaranteed for coverage up to 40 m in the THz picocell. The results and analysis in this work offer guidance for effective system design for future THz picocell communications.