NSF Award
2332721
Next-generation wireless networks and satellite passive sensing systems will benefit from broader spectrum access, specifically above 100 GHz, to provide connectivity with extremely high data rates and more precise weather and climate tracking, respectively. Spectrum sharing, however, needs to guarantee that passive sensing applications are not harmed by interference, since artificial signals may affect the reliability of Earth remote sensing. Research on sharing solutions for communications and remote sensing above 100 GHz is timely, since its outcomes can influence standardization and policy for next-generation wireless networks and embed sharing in the protocol stack rather than in an overlay as an afterthought. In this project, researchers engage with standards organizations and regulatory bodies to promote the findings and will provide the communications and remote sensing communities with open datasets and models to build trust and confidence in sharing solutions, creating a bridge between the two communities. Finally, multi-disciplinary educational material is developed for coursework across institutions, and for summer schools jointly addressed to remote sensing and communications students, to train the next generation of spectrum professionals.<br/> <br/>The spectrum above 100 GHz enables different applications. Traditionally, remote sensing has focused on specific molecular absorption lines in multiple narrow sub-bands above 100 GHz. More recently, developments in radio frequency (RF) circuitry, antennas, and digital signal processing (DSP) – together with the spectrum crunch in the frequencies traditionally used for wireless networks – have pushed communications to consider the large bandwidths potentially available in the sub-terahertz spectrum for sixth generation (6G) backhaul and access networks. Current spectrum allocations, however, prevent communications networks from using more than 12.5 GHz of contiguous spectrum in the 100-200 GHz range. This is largely due to the need to protect passive remote sensing services, which measure natural phenomena and thus cannot tolerate RF interference (RFI). This rigid spectrum allocation scheme prevents both services from benefiting from larger bandwidths, for faster communication links as well as increased precision and opportunities for remote sensing. While this is true for other spectral regions, the characteristics of the spectrum above 100 GHz make the case for more flexible sharing and coexistence solutions. This project develops such techniques by (i) characterizing the RFI of next-generation 6G devices to sensing satellites, including experimental measurements with the TEMPEST-H8 sensor and the TeraNova testbed; (ii) developing large-scale RFI models for 6G networks; and (iii) spectrum sharing strategies for current and next-generation wireless systems.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
