Toward Robust Sampling Frequency Offset Recovery for Single-Carrier Signals in Photon-Assisted THz Transmission System

The rapid development of 6G wireless networks requires ultra-high data rates that traditional microwave frequencies cannot support. Photonics-assisted terahertz (THz) technologies offer a promising solution by combining high-capacity optical fibers with wideband wireless transmission. However, as bandwidth expands, sampling frequency offset (SFO) becomes a critical issue that degrades signal quality in single-carrier systems. This paper evaluates the performance of two main compensation methods within a photonics-assisted THz system operating at 320 GHz. We compare the Gardner clock recovery algorithm and the Digital Interpolation Compensation Algorithm (DICA) across various modulation formats and offset levels. Our findings indicate that the Gardner algorithm is effective for low-order modulation when the SFO is below 100 ppm, but its performance fails outside this range. Conversely, the DICA provides robust compensation up to 1000 ppm regardless of the modulation format, provided that the exact offset value is known. Without proper compensation, the system BER increases significantly as the SFO grows. These results demonstrate the complementary nature of these two algorithms and provide a practical guide for selecting compensation strategies in future high-speed THz communication links.