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The field of terahertz wireless communication is growing rapidly. Here the authors discuss the challenges for the architectures of wireless platforms above 100 GHz and their potential applications.

An asymmetric double-layer C-shaped diode chain structure that can adjust the local electromagnetic field distribution can be used to create a terahertz device with a frequency doubling efficiency of 38%.

While the terahertz range has become increasingly important for a wide range of applications, efficient sources with bespoke output characteristics are still lacking. Here, Keren-Zur et al. show that engineering of a metasurface’s individual elements allows control of the spatiotemporal properties of the emitted terahertz radiation.

Although there are many reports on the development of devices for terahertz signal processing, the possibility of electrical control of the functionality remains elusive. Here, the authors use electrically actuated liquid metal components incorporated into terahertz waveguides for controlling power flow and for frequency filtering.

At terahertz frequencies, link discovery by scanning is impractically slow. Here, the authors propose an alternative, single-shot link-finding method based on a leaky-wave device.

Using a leaky-wave antenna, free-space-to-waveguide frequency-division multiplexing and demultiplexing are demonstrated in the terahertz range. Both the frequency and the spectral bandwidth of multiplexed channels can be independently controlled.

As wireless communications move towards terahertz frequencies, previously unidentified jamming vulnerabilities are revealed. Novel features not typically observed at lower frequencies are studied, including high directional attacks, beat jamming and asymmetric bit interference.

This study presents the first sub-THz retrodirective wideband backscatter. Instead of phased arrays, it uses key properties of leaky waveguides, i.e., frequency-angle dependency and reciprocity for wideband retro directivity with ultra-low power.

There is growing interest in the development of components to facilitate wireless communications in the terahertz but the characterization of these systems involve an unmodulated input. Here the authors demonstrate multiplexing and demultiplexing of data streams in the terahertz range using a real data link.

Burak Bilgin and colleagues propose an approach for generating broadband reconfigurable wavefronts exhibiting low spatial and spectral coherence. Broadcasting such wavefronts enables rapid localization with an order-of-magnitude improvement in accuracy compared to prior methods.

A terahertz phase modulator based on the switchable perturbation resonance in two-dimensional electron gas is demonstrated. Phase manipulation with precision ranging from 2° to 5° is obtained at frequencies in the range from 0.26 to 0.27 THz.

Contrary to current expectation, eavesdropping on terahertz wireless data links is shown to be easier than expected, by placing an object in the path of the signal that scatters part of it to a receiver located elsewhere.

The development of innovative tools and techniques is vital for improving research capabilities and opening up new research directions in the terahertz regime. Terahertz sources and plasmonics are just two examples of current exciting advances.

Hichem Guerboukha and colleagues present a reliable high-data-rate THz communications system when the line of sight between the transmitter and receiver is blocked. They design the near-field wavefront to generate a curved trajectory.

A programmable metasurface based on AlGaN/GaN HEMTs is demonstrated for terahertz multifunctional wavefront engineering in real time.

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy employs short electromagnetic pulses to simultaneously measure the refractive index and the absorption coefficient of a material in a broad spectral range near a frequency of one terahertz. This Primer summarizes common techniques for generating and detecting terahertz pulses, which can be used to study physical, chemical and biological phenomena.

This Review Article examines the development of terahertz integrated electronic and hybrid electronic–photonic systems, considering, in particular, advances that deliver important functionalities for applications in communication, sensing and imaging.

Hichem Guerboukha and colleagues describe a conformal (or curved) leaky waveguide in the THz range for antenna applications in wireless communications. The authors describe rich wave behavior at THz frequencies. They also experimentally show application potential for their antennas as multi-beam high-gain transmitters of wireless links with low bit error rates.

The goal of the Complex Trait Consortium is to promote the development of resources that can be used to understand, treat and ultimately prevent pervasive human diseases. Existing and proposed mouse resources that are optimized to study the actions of isolated genetic loci on a fixed background are less effective for studying intact polygenic networks and interactions among genes, environments, pathogens and other factors. The Collaborative Cross will provide a common reference panel specifically designed for the integrative analysis of complex systems and will change the way we approach human health and disease.