Indoor Channel Measurements and Characterization for Virtual Multiantenna at 260 GHz to 400 GHz

Terahertz (THz) communication is recognized as the key technology of 6G due to the abundant bandwidth resource. However, it faces challenges from severe propagation loss, which can be effectively mitigated through multi-antenna technology. In this paper, an indoor channel measurement campaign at 260-400 GHz with a 128-antenna virtual multi-antenna linear array is reported, thereby enhancing knowledge of channel characteristics for THz multi-antenna communication. First, a frequency domain vector network analyzer (VNA)-based measurement scheme is presented. Second, we elaborate on the calibration principle and introduce a prevalent issue in THz channel measurement—spurious peaks near the path, and innovatively provide theoretical analysis from the perspective of harmonic. Finally, we calculate and summarize the critical parameters including path loss, delay spread, etc. and validate the near-field effect and non-stationary characteristics for the THz multi-antenna array.