After years of academic research, sub-terahertz and terahertz communications are on the verge of becoming a reality, with potential implementation in 6G and beyond wireless networks.

A key innovation in the transition from stationary sub-terahertz backhaul links to mobile terahertz networks is the fact that the latter will often operate in the terahertz near field. This shift significantly impacts signal propagation, channel characteristics, and needs of a reevaluation of some long-standing assumptions. Simultaneously, it opens doors to innovations related to novel wavefronts for near-field terahertz systems.

Professor Josep Jornet, Dr. Vitaly Petrov, Duschia Bodet, and other members of the UNLab at the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things, have been actively exploring this emerging field in collaboration with researchers from SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Rice University, and Brown University, yielding promising results:

1. They have formally demonstrated that mobile terahertz networks must operate in the near field.
2. They have also outlined major research directions in this new field.

3. They have explored opportunities for wavefront engineering, leading to remarkable effects like curved signals in space with Airy beams. Signals are also restored after encountering small obstacles with Bessel beams and more.

They have also developed a pioneering experimental demonstration, as described in the recently updated paper.