Terahertz diffuse reflectors and their effects on group delay dispersion and communication performance

Abstract

Engineered terahertz diffuse reflectors were created using mixtures of paint and varying amounts of aluminum powder to improve the reflectivity and scattering properties of surfaces. The performance of these reflectors is measured and analyzed using broadband terahertz spectroscopy. The effects of temporal dispersion caused by rough surface reflections on wireless terahertz communication is quantified and predicted using communication simulations. A scattering model using stochastic methods is used to describe rough surfaces, including the effects group delay dispersion caused by rough surface reflections. This model was validated using broadband terahertz spectroscopy to compare measured and simulated results. The modeled channel transfer function was used in a quadrature phase shift keyed (QPSK) communication simulation to find the expected symbol error rate with respect to surface roughness. Based on these simulations, a distinct dispersion limit in which group delay dispersion from rough surface reflections begins to cause symbol errors is found.