Impact of Foreign-Continuum Scaling on Terahertz 
(THz) Link Performance: Bridging High-Resolution 
Modeling and System-Level Metrics

Ahmed Sidi Aman; Ramafiarisona Hajasoa Malala

doi:https://doi.org/10.14445/22312803/IJCTT-V73I11P107

Research Article | Open Access | Download PDF

Volume 73 | Issue 11 | Year 2025 | Article Id. IJCTT-V73I11P107 | DOI : https://doi.org/10.14445/22312803/IJCTT-V73I11P107

Impact of Foreign-Continuum Scaling on Terahertz (THz) Link Performance: Bridging High-Resolution Modeling and System-Level Metrics

Ahmed Sidi Aman, Ramafiarisona Hajasoa Malala

Received	Revised	Accepted	Published
21 Sep 2025	29 Oct 2025	16 Nov 2025	30 Nov 2025

Citation :

Ahmed Sidi Aman, Ramafiarisona Hajasoa Malala, "Impact of Foreign-Continuum Scaling on Terahertz (THz) Link Performance: Bridging High-Resolution Modeling and System-Level Metrics," International Journal of Computer Trends and Technology (IJCTT), vol. 73, no. 11, pp. 43-54, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/22312803/IJCTT-V73I11P107

Abstract

This work extends a previously developed high-resolution Line-By-Line (LBL) framework to quantify how a calibrated Foreign-Continuum Scaling S(f) affects outdoor THz link performance. The spectroscopic structure is unchanged—HITRAN line absorption, MT_CKD self/foreign continua, and dry collision-induced absorption—while S(f) is applied only to the foreign continuum. The correction follows an affine frequency trend, is windowed over 600–980 GHz, and activates only where the foreign continuum dominates, avoiding line-dominated regions. The focus is placed on the practical implications of S(f) for link behavior under varying atmospheric conditions. Using three representative humidity–temperature scenarios (dry, moderate, humid) and link distances up to 1 km, the analysis examines how minor spectral deviations translate into key communication metrics such as Received Signal Level (RSL), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), and capacity. Below 600 GHz, LBL and LBL×S(f) produce nearly identical results. Above that, especially in bands Z4–Z5, differences grow more significant as continuum effects begin to dominate. Linking spectroscopic accuracy to link-budget modeling shows that the foreign continuum must be explicitly accounted for in both spectroscopic analyses and system-level design.

Keywords

Terahertz Links, Line-by-Line Modeling, Water-Vapor Continuum, Foreign Continuum Scaling, Atmospheric Attenuation, Link Budget Analysis.

References

[1] Ian F. Akyildiz, Josep Miquel Jornet, and Chong Han, “Terahertz Band: Next Frontier for Wireless Communications,” Physical Communication, vol. 12, pp. 16–32, 2014.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[2] Theodore S. Rappaport et al., “Wireless Communications and Applications Above 100 GHz: Opportunities and Challenges for 6G and Beyond,” IEEE Access, vol. 7, pp. 78729–78757, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[3] Ahmed Sidi Aman, and Ramafiarisona Hajasoa Malala, “Physically Transparent LBL Modeling of 0.3–1 THz Attenuation: Windowed Foreign-Continuum Scaling and Validation,” International Journal of Computer Trends and Technology (IJCTT), vol. 73, no. 8, pp. 33 40, 2025.
[CrossRef] [Publisher Link]
[4] Domenico Cimini et al., “Uncertainty of Atmospheric Microwave Absorption Model: Impact on Ground-based Radiometer Simulations and Retrievals,” Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, vol. 18, no. 20, pp. 15231–15259, 2018.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[5] IEEE 802.15.3d-2017, IEEE Standard for High Data Rate Wireless Multi-Media Networks Amendment 2: 100 Gb/s Wireless Switched Point-to-Point Physical Layer, 2017.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[6] I.E. Gordon et al., “The HITRAN2020 Molecular Spectroscopic Database,” Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, vol. 277, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[7] Eli J. Mlawer et al., “Development and Recent Evaluation of the MT_CKD Model of Continuum Absorption,” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, vol. 370, no. 1968, 2012.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[8] P Series Radiowave Propagation, Attenuation by Atmospheric Gases and Related Effects, Recommendation ITU-R P.676-12, International Telecommunication Union, 2019.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[9] Scott Paine, “The Am Atmospheric Model,” Zenodo, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[10] ITU-R Recommendation P.525-4, Calculation of Free-space Attenuation, 2019.
[Publisher Link]
[11] Andrea Goldsmith, Wireless Communications, Cambridge University Press, 2005.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[12] ITU-R Recommendation P.835-7, Reference Atmospheres, 2024.
[Publisher Link]
[13] M. Yu. Tretyakov et al., “Atmospheric Water-vapor Continuum Model for the Sub-THz Range,” Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, vol. 333–334, 2025.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[14] Emma Turner et al., “Literature Review on Microwave and Sub-millimetre Spectoscopy for Metop Second Generation,” Numerical Weather Prediction, 2022.
[Publisher Link]