Collaborative Research: CNS Core: Large: Scaling WLANs to TB/sec: THz Spectrum, Architectures, and Control

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Gigabit-per-second scale wireless transmission is already commercially available in wireless local area networks (WLANs). For example, the latest Wi-Fi standard at 60 gigahertz promises data rates up to 100 gigabits per second The objective of this project is to realize the next order of magnitude in data rate, spectrum access, directionality, and spatial multiplexing targeting terabit per second WLANs with a low-latency control plane that supports mobile clients. Namely, scaling spectrum access towards terahertz will provide a key ingredient to realize the sixth generation of wireless networks. Thus, this project will result in the design, implementation, and proof-of-concept demonstration of a WLAN architecture using spectrum from 100 gigahertz to 500 gigahertz with range exceeding 100 meters.This project targets to scale multi-stream data rates to terabit per second for mobile clients via the following integrated research thrusts. The first project thrust provides two underlying building blocks for steerable and highly directional beams from 100 GHz to 500 GHz: (1) A first-of-its-kind pixelated metasurface waveguide will be developed to dynamically steer a THz beam via electrical switching of the meta-elements. (2) A THz leaky waveguide's unique property of coupling frequency and steering angle will be exploited for the first time to provide frequency-selective adaptive beam steering. The second project thrust targets scaling to high-density user populations. First, new smart reflecting surfaces will be developed that will enable engineered non-specular non-line-of-sight paths. This thrust will experimentally study the achievable network density under different architectural components, identifying empirical limits at THz scale of packing many simultaneous physical links into a limited spatial area. The third project thrust targets to provide uninterrupted Tb/sec scale communication even in the presence of user and environmental mobility. The project's methodology aims to scale the control plane to a large and dense mobile WLAN via a novel spectral signature for each transmission and reception angle. Namely, with a terahertz rainbow emitted from a leaky waveguide, a unique angular signature is derived for each path, whether line of sight, a specular reflection, or an engineered path.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.