Measurement and Modeling on Terahertz Channel Propagation Through Vegetation

Abstract

The terahertz (THz) band offers promising opportunities for high-capacity wireless communications but faces significant challenges from vegetation-induced channel impairments. This article presents a comprehensive investigation of THz channel propagation through vegetation, introducing a hybrid modeling approach that combines deterministic vegetation-dependent exponential decay (VED) modeling with statistical characterization of temporal variations. Through extensive laboratory measurements using Epipremnum aureum, we find that vegetation introduces angular-dependent power losses, with channel statistics following heavy-tailed stable distributions rather than conventional Rician or Weibull models. Our outdoor measurements with dense and sparse lilac scenarios reveal pronounced foliage density variations in attenuation and height-dependent effects while validating the VED model's ability to maintain excellent agreement with the measured data and parameter stability across different heights without coefficient recalibration. Critical bit-error-rate analysis uncovers distinct signal-to-noise ratio thresholds beyond which performance exhibits oscillatory behavior due to heavy-tailed fading, establishing fundamental capacity bounds with significant implications for modulation scheme selection and power control strategies in practical THz communication systems.