RIS-Assisted Wideband Beamforming for Near-Field Terahertz Systems

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted wideband terahertz (THz) communications are essential for achieving ultra-high data rates in sixth-generation (6G) networks. By adjusting the phase shifts of reflecting elements, RIS can effectively reshape wireless channels to enhance overall performance. However, two major challenges arise in RIS-assisted THz systems: 1) the dual beam split effect, where the large bandwidth causes subcarrier beam directions to diverge at both base station (BS) and RIS; and 2) the near-field effect, where the channel becomes a nonlinear function of both angle and distance. In this paper, we propose a novel beamforming technique, termed RIS-assisted wideband beamforming (RWB), to address these challenges and maximize data rates in RIS-assisted wideband THz systems. The RWB scheme leverages partially-connected true time delays (TTDs) and phase shifters (PSs) to generate frequency-dependent BS transmit beamforming vectors, while utilizing passive reflecting elements to control the frequency-invariant RIS reflect beamforming vector. By jointly optimizing the transmit and reflect beamforming vectors on the Riemannian manifold of unit-modulus phase shifts, RWB effectively mitigates both beam split and near-field effects. Numerical evaluations demonstrate that RWB achieves substantial data rate improvements over conventional wideband beamforming schemes.