Terahertz Channel performance in ULEO Satellite-to-Ground Communications

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Zhang, Mingxia, Chang, Wanzhu, Yang, Jie, Liang, Hong, Zhao, Yiming, Sun, Houjun, Ma, Jianjun
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866908661284077568
author Zhang, Mingxia
Chang, Wanzhu
Yang, Jie
Liang, Hong
Zhao, Yiming
Sun, Houjun
Ma, Jianjun
author_facet Zhang, Mingxia
Chang, Wanzhu
Yang, Jie
Liang, Hong
Zhao, Yiming
Sun, Houjun
Ma, Jianjun
contents The exponential growth in satellite data traffic demands communication systems exceeding current microwave capacity limitations, while the terahertz (THz) frequency band (0.1-10 THz) offers unprecedented bandwidth potential with superior weather resilience compared to optical systems, particularly when combined with ultra low Earth orbit (ULEO) satellite deployments below 300 km altitude. This article presents a comprehensive performance evaluation for ULEO-THz satellite to ground communications, analyzing three distinct transmission architectures direct satellite to ground (S2G), satellite relay ground (SRG) forwarding, and satellite-to-high altitude base station (S2H) with fiber backhaul. Our analysis leverages altitude-resolved atmospheric propagation models validated using year long meteorological data from four high-altitude stations in Tibet and Qinghai, China. It incorporates frequency-dependent atmospheric absorption using ITU-R standards, free space path loss with curved atmospheric modeling, and regional atmospheric variations to derive total channel path loss, available bandwidth capacity, and bit error rate (BER) performance under both AWGN and Weibull fading conditions across multiple THz frequencies. Results demonstrate that direct S2G transmission at lower THz frequencies achieves optimal practical performance with maximum available bandwidth under QPSK modulation, while SRG suffers prohibitive cumulative losses from multiple hops, and S2H is rendered impractical for long-haul links by substantial electro-optical conversion and fiber transmission losses.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_12769
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Terahertz Channel performance in ULEO Satellite-to-Ground Communications
Zhang, Mingxia
Chang, Wanzhu
Yang, Jie
Liang, Hong
Zhao, Yiming
Sun, Houjun
Ma, Jianjun
Applied Physics
The exponential growth in satellite data traffic demands communication systems exceeding current microwave capacity limitations, while the terahertz (THz) frequency band (0.1-10 THz) offers unprecedented bandwidth potential with superior weather resilience compared to optical systems, particularly when combined with ultra low Earth orbit (ULEO) satellite deployments below 300 km altitude. This article presents a comprehensive performance evaluation for ULEO-THz satellite to ground communications, analyzing three distinct transmission architectures direct satellite to ground (S2G), satellite relay ground (SRG) forwarding, and satellite-to-high altitude base station (S2H) with fiber backhaul. Our analysis leverages altitude-resolved atmospheric propagation models validated using year long meteorological data from four high-altitude stations in Tibet and Qinghai, China. It incorporates frequency-dependent atmospheric absorption using ITU-R standards, free space path loss with curved atmospheric modeling, and regional atmospheric variations to derive total channel path loss, available bandwidth capacity, and bit error rate (BER) performance under both AWGN and Weibull fading conditions across multiple THz frequencies. Results demonstrate that direct S2G transmission at lower THz frequencies achieves optimal practical performance with maximum available bandwidth under QPSK modulation, while SRG suffers prohibitive cumulative losses from multiple hops, and S2H is rendered impractical for long-haul links by substantial electro-optical conversion and fiber transmission losses.
title Terahertz Channel performance in ULEO Satellite-to-Ground Communications
topic Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.12769