Performance analysis of 5G and beyond mixed THz/FSO relaying communication systems

This paper explores the potential of relay-assisted transmission to mitigate fading in free-space optical (FSO) systems. Our investigation focuses on assessing the performance of a dual-hop relay system for Terahertz/FSO (THz/FSO) communication. We develop an aggregated channel model incorporating various factors, including pointing errors, channel fading, and deterministic path loss. Specifically, the THz link encounters α−μ fading with pointing errors, while the FSO link experiences Gamma–Gamma fading and pointing errors. We utilize amplify-and-forward relaying and derive mathematical expressions for the probability density function and cumulative distribution function of the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio, considering the combined effects of channel fading and pointing errors. Employing the derived statistical expressions, we evaluate crucial performance metrics for the considered relaying schemes, including the outage probability and the average bit error rate. To validate our analytical findings, we conducted Monte-Carlo simulations. The results demonstrate a strong correlation between the performance of the system and the particular pointing errors and fading parameters linked to the THz/FSO connections. •A relay-assisted transmission is considered to mitigate fading in free-space optical (FSO) systems.•The investigation focuses on the performance of a dual-hop relay system for Terahertz/FSO (THz/FSO) communication.•An aggregated channel model incorporating various factors, including pointing errors, channel fading, and deterministic path loss is presented.•Focusing on amplify-and-forward relaying, expressions for the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio are proposed.•Based on the proposed models, performance metrics for the considered relaying schemes are evaluated.