T: Traceability - Parametric measures and Metrological Traceability for Functionality of Communication Systems

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr.-Ing. Thomas Kleine-Ostmann
• Subject Area: Communication Technology and Networks, High-Frequency Technology and Photonic Systems, Signal Processing and Machine Learning for Information Technology
• Term: since 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 403579441

In project T (Traceability) PI Humphreys and PI Kleine-Ostmann are looking into the traceability aspects of the overall project and is closely cooperating with various Meteracom projects. In the first phase of the project there was a focus on the traceability and uncertainties associated with the RF performance of the VNA and Channel sounder in project A1. This is expected to continue in phase II and extended to allow VNA measurements of moving objects. Additionally, the traceability and uncertainties of sampling systems have been investigated, were especially a sampling system based on orthogonal sinc pulse sequences has been investigated in detail. It has been shown that the sinc pulse sequence system can outperform electrical measurement systems in the achievable effective number of bit. In the second phase the results will be extended to methods for the frequency- and time- domain parallelization of high-bandwidth input signals into several low bandwidth sub-signals, which can then be processed with low bandwidth electronics. In collaboration with A1, A3 and C3 the traceability of these systems will be investigated. In cooperation with projects A2 and B1 traceability of measurements of the multi path characteristics are investigates. Channel sounders receive the sum of delayed time-series transmissions. To recreate a Multi-dimensional environment requires multiple spatial measurements which will have associated geometric uncertainties. The aim here is to determine the impact of these uncertainties on THz channel estimation. In collaboration with A3 the traceability of frequency- and time- domain parallelization techniques will be investigated. In the first phase of this project analysis of transmission data, provided by B2, showed that continuous random phase variation was the dominant error contribution. Analysis of data obtained from a custom 300 GHz super-heterodyne link with variable modulation up to 256 QAM modulation and variable data rates up to 32 Gbit/s is ongoing. In phase II, the provision of measurement data from B2 and its traceability investigations in the frame of project T will be extended towards the self-test, self-calibration and variable gain functionality of the project-specific 300 GHz transceiver system planned with the second phase of B2. In the first phase of this project there was good collaboration with C2 on the analysis of Forward Error Correction schemes. In the second phase we will compare the performance of Forward Error Correction schemes and uncertainty analysis and modulation as a system-level approach.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 2863: Metrology for THz Communications
• International Connection: United Kingdom
• Cooperation Partner: Dr. David Humphreys