A three-dimensional path loss model for THz band aerial communications

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ICC59461.2026.11588151

Accurate characterization of Terahertz (THz) band path loss is critical for reliable high-frequency communication, especially in aerial networks where transceivers may operate at different altitudes. Existing THz-band path loss models for aerial networks focus on horizontal or vertical transceiver deployments, and fall short at modeling the random 3D geometry of transceiver locations. To address this limitation, we propose a new analytical THz path loss model that incorporates arbitrary 3D geometry of transceiver locations and frequency-selective absorption, obtained through a two-dimensional regression. We validate our proposed model with the propagation data collected via the Atmospheric Model (am) tool for multiple aerial link types, including drone-to-drone (Dr2Dr), medium-altitude aerial communication (MAAC), high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)-to-UAV (U2U) links over varying transceiver separation and sub-THz to low-THz spectrum, i.e., 0.1-1 THz. The proposed framework provides a unified and accurate model for analyzing and designing future high-frequency aerial communication systems.