ABSTRACT
To counterbalance the high path loss of the terahertz (THz) band, wireless systems utilized in these frequencies employ high-gain antennas in both the transceivers. The use of such antennas requires perfect antenna alignment, which is practically not possible. Moreover, due to the high penetration loss, THz directional links suffer from blockage. Motivated by this, this chapter identifies antenna misalignment and blockage as key particularities of THz wireless systems and presents suitable models that accommodates their characteristics. Likewise, the analytical framework for the evaluation of the performance of THz systems in the presence of antenna misalignment and blockage is introduced. In more detail, the effect of antenna misalignment is quantified by means of total directional gain, while the one of blockage in terms of blocking probability. Finally, a number of different antenna misalignment and blockage mitigation approaches are reported, their efficiency is evaluated and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach are revealed.
