SUNY Poly students Michael Wilder and Ryan Primus were lead authors of a research paper titled, "Terahertz Band Demands Ultra-Broadband Waveform: An Analysis of Phase Noise Estimation and Compensation," accepted for publication at the 2024 workshop on Mobile Radio and Optical Wireless Systems and Experimentation (mROSE). Michael is a Senior in Electrical and Computer Engineering while Ryan is pursuing his MS in Computer Science. 
 
The work is a collaborative effort between the wireless communications group and networking and security team at SUNY Poly, involving SUNY Poly faculty members Dr. Priyangshu Sen, Dr. Arjun Singh, and Dr. Hisham Kholidy. They address a critical issue in terahertz (THz) band communication systems: phase noise (PN). Arising from non-linear distortions in the local oscillator, PN is a significant obstacle for THz systems due to the requirement of high number of frequency multipliers. Not accounting for PN can significantly compromise the performance of THz-band systems, considered crucial as we move towards the 6G and beyond wireless landscape. 
 
The research uses an in-house developed simulator to explore PN estimation and compensation techniques under aggravated PN conditions. The team examines the effects of different frame parameters—such as symbol rate, pilot separation, and pilot length—on PN tracking and compensation. Their findings suggest that longer pilot lengths and lower bandwidth utilization can hinder effective PN estimation. The authors propose a frame structure with sub-frames containing pilot symbols for better PN tracking and compensation, a method that helps to maintain link reliability even in high-phase noise scenarios. The authors are planning to test the developed solutions in the ACES wireless testbed, hosted under the WINGS center of excellence at SUNY Poly. The testbed has been set up through the generous donations of the Wilcox Family and can be utilized to experimentally verify THz signal generation. In addition, the team is developing a Machine Learning enhanced phase noise estimator for quickly deriving the key signal parameters. 

Ryan will represent SUNY Poly and the team at the conference, to be held in Abu Dhabi in December 2024.