Low Complexity Channel Estimation for RIS-Assisted THz Systems with Beam Split

Abstract

To support extremely high data rates, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted terahertz (THz) communication is considered to be a promising technology for future sixth-generation networks. However, due to the typical employment of hybrid beamforming architecture in THz systems, as well as the passive nature of RIS which lacks the capability to process pilot signals, obtaining channel state information (CSI) is facing significant challenges. To accurately estimate the cascaded channel, we propose a novel low-complexity channel estimation scheme, which includes three steps. Specifically, we first estimate full CSI within a small subset of subcarriers (SCs). Then, we acquire angular information at base station and RIS based on the full CSI. Finally, we derive spatial directions and recover full-CSI for the remaining SCs. Theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can achieve superior performance in terms of normalized mean-square-error and exhibit a lower computational complexity compared with the existing algorithms.