New Physics Problem Emerges in Next-Gen Wireless Tech Rollout
Researchers have identified a major blind spot in terahertz communications systems: current design formulas fail when antennas aren't perfectly aligned—a near-guaranteed reality in mobile networks and real-world deployments. The finding could delay or complicate commercial THz rollout unless engineers account for these practical misalignments from the start.
Originaltitel: Impact of Antenna Arrays Misalignment on the Near Field Distance in Terahertz Communications
<p>The extremely short wavelength of terahertz (THz) communications leads to an extended radiative near-field region, in which some canonical far-field assumptions fail. Existing near-field boundary formulations (Fraunhofer distance) for uniform linear/planar array (ULA/UPA) configurations assume ideal alignment between transceivers, overlooking practical misalignments caused by mobility or mechanical imperfections. This paper addresses this critical gap by analyzing the impact of spatial misalignment on near-field distance calculations in THz systems. We derive exact analytical expressions and simplified approximations for the near-field boundary in both ULA-ULA and UPA-UPA configurations under arbitrary misalignment off-sets. Through numerical simulations, we validate our theoretical models and quantify how misalignment reshapes the near-field region. These findings provide essential guidelines for optimizing THz system deployment in realistic scenarios.</p>