Ultrabroadband Communication and Networking Solutions to Unleash the Spectrum above 100 GHz

Abstract: Terahertz (THz)-band (0.1–10 THz) communication is envisioned as a key wireless technology in 6G and beyond systems. In the last decade, the THz technology gap has been progressively closed through major advancements in electronic, photonic, and plasmonic technologies. In parallel, the propagation of THz signals has been studied through both physics-based and data-driven approaches, debunking some of the myths about the THz channel. Nevertheless, there are several communication and networking roadblocks that need to be overcome to unleash the spectrum above 100 GHz. In this talk, the state of the art and open challenges at the physical, link and network layers of THz communication systems will be presented. Specific topics include novel ultrabroadband waveforms designs that can not only overcome but leverage the distance-dependent bandwidth resulting from molecular absorption; intelligent reflecting surfaces able to engineer wavefronts in ways that in the past were only available to optical systems; new receiver initiated medium access control protocols for ultra-directional links coupled with expedited neighbor discovery strategies’ and cross-layer multi-hop relaying strategies. Moreover, a glimpse at state-of-the-art experimental platforms for THz communication networks will be provided.

Presenter:

Josep M. Jornet is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Director of the Ultrabroadband Nanonetworking Laboratory and a faculty member of the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things and the SMART Center at Northeastern University. He received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2013. His research interests are in Terahertz-band communication networks, Wireless Nano-bio-communication Networks and the Internet of Nano-Things. In these areas, he has co-authored more than 180 peer-reviewed publications, 1 book, and has been granted 4 US patents, which accumulate over 10,800 citations (h-index 47).