Jornet Delivers Keynote at IEEE CCNC 2025

ECE Professor and Associate Dean for Research Josep Jornet gave a keynote speech on “Terahertz Communications: From the Near Field to Space Networks” at the IEEE Consumer Communications & Networking Conference in Las Vegas.
Abstract:
The need for ever-increasing bandwidth is driving the research community to explore new spectrum frontiers. The sub-terahertz and terahertz bands (0.1–10 THz) offer a vast swath of untapped spectrum that could be used for many innovative communication and sensing applications. Over the last decade, remarkable progress in electronic, photonic, and plasmonic technologies has narrowed the terahertz technology gap. Moreover, in-depth studies on terahertz signal propagation, combining physics-based and data-driven approaches, have dispelled misconceptions surrounding the terahertz channel. However, several communication roadblocks must be overcome to unleash the spectrum above 100 GHz. This talk will follow a bottom-up approach to highlight innovative solutions and open challenges for terahertz communications and sensing systems on the ground, in the air, and in space. Topics to be covered include revolutionary graphene-based plasmonic device technologies, ultra-broadband waveform designs that exploit molecular absorption, near-field wavefront engineering techniques akin to optical systems, and early insights into designing a full protocol stack for ultrabroadband ultradirectional networks, always with an eye toward experimental demonstrations with state-of-the-art testbeds.