Abstract
Sub-terahertz communications (100-300 GHz) are explored today as a candidate technology to enable extremely high-rate, low-latency data services and high-resolution sensing in beyond-fifth-generation (beyond-5G) wireless networks. However, these sub-terahertz wireless systems will often have to operate in the near field, where the signal propagation does not follow canonical far-field models, including the commonly used free space path loss equation. Instead, the signal propagation in the near field follows more complex patterns that are not well-captured with analytical far-field models standardized for 5G research. Moreover, state-of-the-art beamforming solutions exploited heavily in fourth-generation (4G) and 5G networks are notably less efficient in the near field. In this article, the near-field sub-terahertz channel is accurately measured and analyzed. In addition to state-of-the-art beamforming, the article also analyzes the sub-terahertz channel measurements when using near-field-specific Bessel beams that demonstrate fewer power fluctuations in the near field in addition to higher focusing gain. Novel distance-centric and angle-centric dependencies reported in this article may serve as a reference when developing next-generation channel models for sixth-generation (6G) and beyond-6G near-field sub-terahertz wireless systems.