On the secrecy of RIS-aided THz wireless systems subject to $$\alpha -\mu$$ fading with pointing errors

The study examines the secrecy outage probability (SOP) and intercept probability (IP) of a reflecting intelligent surface (RIS)-enabled THz wireless network experiencing $$\alpha -\mu$$ fading with pointing errors. Specifically, the base station (BS) sends information to a legitimate user $$\ell$$ via the RIS, while an eavesdropper e tries to overhear the conversation. Furthermore, receive nodes are equipped with a single antenna, and the RIS phase shifts were selected to boost the SNR at node $$\ell$$. Elementary functions are used to accurately approximate the statistical features of channel gain in BS-$$\ell$$ and BS-e links, leading to approximate and asymptotic SOP and IP expressions. Monte Carlo simulation validates all analytical findings for different system parameter values.