Jamming a terahertz wireless link
Abstract
As the demand for bandwidth in wireless communication increases, carrier frequencies will reach the terahertz (THz) regime. One of the common preconceived notions is that, at these high frequencies, signals can radiate with high directivity which inherently provides more secure channels. Here, we describe the first study of the vulnerability of these directional links to jamming, in which we identify several features that are distinct from the usual considerations of jamming at low frequencies. We show that the receiver’s use of an envelope detector provides the jammer with the ability to thwart active attempts to adapt to their attack. In addition, a jammer can exploit the broadband nature of typical receivers to implement a beat jamming attack, which allows them to optimize the efficacy of the interference even if their broadcast is detuned from the frequency of the intended link. Our work quantifies the increasing susceptibility of broadband receivers to jamming, revealing previously unidentified vulnerabilities which must be considered in the development of future wireless systems operating above 100 GHz.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1038/s41467-022-30723-8
Entities
People
- Daniel Mittleman
- Edward Knightly
- Hichem Guerboukha
- Rabi Shrestha
- Zhaoji Fang
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate
- Fonds de Recherche du Québec Nature et technologies
- National Science Foundation
- United States Department of Defense