Atmospheric Attenuation in Wireless Communication Systems at Millimeter and THz Frequencies [Wireless Corner]

This paper intends to give an overview about atmospheric propagation effects affecting millimeter and terahertz (THz) communication systems. The main focus is on attenuation caused by atmospheric gases and liquid water droplets, either in the form of suspended particles into clouds or rain falling hydrometeors. Theoretical aspects about each of them are presented, emphasizing on those that deserve special attention as frequency increases. Statistics of attenuation estimated from meteorological data and some experimental results, as in the case of rain attenuation, obtained in Madrid, Spain, are presented throughout the paper, thus providing further insights about the phenomena discussed.