Collaborative Research: Beamforming, User Association and Precise Positioning in Future Terahertz-Enabled Wireless Networks

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The wireless industry is entering an unprecedented era characterized by orders of magnitude increase in both carrier frequency and channel bandwidth. Key features including wide channel bandwidths, adaptable directional antennas, and dense cell deployments will set future wireless systems on a rapid expansion of capabilities. While mmWave frequencies offer improved wireless data rates, the growing demand for emerging applications like wireless cognition, holographic communications, virtual/augmented reality, autonomous driving, and wireless backhaul necessitates even higher data rates beyond what 5G networks can provide. To achieve data rates of around 100 Gbps or more, it becomes essential to explore frequencies in the sub-THz and THz range, surpassing 100 GHz. These frequency ranges offer abundant available spectra, enabling wider bandwidth radio frequency (RF) channels and the next leap in data rate capabilities. This project aims to leverage the potential of sub-THz frequencies by addressing fundamental challenges in extremely wideband, highly directional channels.Specifically, the project focuses on the design of hybrid beamforming for a wideband multicarrier system in the presence of beam squinting caused by the extremely wide bandwidth. It also investigates joint user association with base stations and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) within the dense and directional THz environment. Moreover, the project explores the use of THz-enabled centimeter-accuracy positioning capabilities, enabling more precise and agile beamforming, as well as enhanced association and handover mechanisms for mobile devices. To accomplish these goals, optimization and deep learning techniques will be employed in algorithm design. Furthermore, the project will involve using measurements of THz signals obtained by a channel sounder to emulate virtual transmitter and receiver locations in real-world environments. These measurements will assist in calibrating the NYU ray tracer and provide valuable data for algorithms evaluation. The use of RISs and the Precision Time Protocol over wireless networks will facilitate real-time, THz-based precise position-location capabilities. Incorporating actual sub-THz channel measurements and the position location information of transmitters, receivers, and RISs will provide additional insights to enhance the performance of the designed algorithms.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.