Sommerfeld-Goubau is a single-wire electromagnetic surface wave transmission technology with roots in the late 1800s, now quietly re-emerging in commercial infrastructure through Google and Facebook patents — with applications spanning terahertz communications, wireless power, BioMEMs, and beyond.

Full technical deep-dive on the physics: Sommerfeld-Goubau: Electromagnetic THz Waves

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The G-Line: What It Is

Sommerfeld-Goubau is an advancement of single-wire transmission technology used to conduct radio waves at UHF and microwave frequencies, developed from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. The dielectric-coated transmission line necessary for its intended function was invented by F. Harms in 1907 and George J. E. Goubau in 1950, based on Arnold Sommerfeld's studies of surface waves on wires — used as a feed-line at UHF to link high-frequency transmitters and receivers to their antennas, and in scientific research.

The Goubau line consists of a single wire conductor coated with dielectric material. Coupling is done with conical metal launchers or catchers, with their narrow ends connected to the shield of a coaxial feed line, and with the transmission line passing through a hole in the conical tips. Conventional coaxial cables carry lower-frequency radio signals but have high losses at the upper end of the UHF band and are almost useless for distances over 100 feet (33 meters). Goubau lines can serve as low-loss antenna feed-lines at these frequencies, up to microwave frequencies where a waveguide must be used.

A G-line is a type of waveguide rather than a conventional wire in an electric circuit. It functions by slowing the propagation velocity of EM waves below the free-space velocity, causing wave fronts to slightly bend inward toward the conductor — keeping waves entrained along the line. Bends of large radius are tolerated, but too sharp a bend causes radiation and energy loss. In theory the dielectric coating is a requirement; in practice the finite conductivity of metals may produce a similar effect, and a bare G-line can entrain a propagating wave.

At higher frequencies, waves can be launched from planar structures like tapered coplanar waveguides into the terahertz band, with single metallic conductor dimensions as small as 1 µm. The Goubau line conducts energy via one-dimensional electromagnetic surface waves — analogous to the two-dimensional ground waves that carry MF AM broadcasts to home receivers, explaining why AM radio stations can be received beyond hills and how over-the-horizon radar works.

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BioMEMs & In-Body Applications

Nanotechnology is integral to this system for both internal and external use cases. THz frequencies are of the right intensity to breach the skin, enabling power and data transmission to implanted receivers. This is not theoretical:

"We present an approach for implanting radio frequency transmission lines in biological tissue, using a single insulated wire surrounded by tissue as a variant of the Goubau single-wire transmission line (SWTL) in air. We extend the Goubau SWTL model to include SWTLs surrounded by lossy dielectrics such as tissue." — Source 10

When thinking about propagation, a theoretical transmission system involving a line of MEMs receiving and re-emitting waves in a non-uniform chain — where each element engages in line-of-sight transmission with the concurrent receiver — could achieve substantial transmission distances with minimum loss. A 2009 paper confirmed this is more than theory:

"A biosensor based on a distributed MEMS transmission line has been presented. The biosensor was assembled with a DMTL chip and a microchannel device that allows bio samples to interact with the electromagnetic field through the DMTL." — Source 13

The most prominent names in the BioMEMs field for this technology are Bertrand Bocquet and Anthony Treizebré, affiliates of the Institute of Electronics Microelectronics and Nanotechnology (IEMN), UMR CNRS 8520, University of Lille 1. Their work includes a THz interferometer for integrated Goubau-line waveguides (Source 12).

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Water & THz Generation

One historical drawback of THz waves has been absorption by water. As of recent years this has been overcome. A thin (less than 200 µm) free-flowing film of water can generate THz waves — a finding that opens significant new possibilities for this technology.

Sources 14 and 15 cover this development in detail.

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EM Surface Waves & Military History

Without physical barriers, Earth's curvature is not a hindrance — THz surface waves skim the surface of the Earth along their course, attributing to high base efficiency. The DOD has extensive documentation on the use of EM surface waves, minimally as an efficient radar-jamming technique. Between 1960–1980, microwave weaponry was integral in naval defense — which likely explains why this technology has remained scarcely known. Military documentation is provided in Sources 16 and 17.

Tesla spoke of a wave that could skim the Earth to overcome dissipation within its curvature. The more historically comparable concept is the Zenneck wave:

"At high frequencies, a type of surface wave called Zenneck waves can propagate along a surface. They travel better on some materials than others, but performance is best with a conductor covered in a dielectric material. As with wires, these surfaces can carry high bandwidth, are secure, do not cause interference, and require little power." — Source 18

For military applications and use history: DOD Surface Wave & Microwave Documents

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Google: Patent US10044442B2

"Quasi-Wireless Communication System"

US10044442B2 — Google Patent

"A method for delivering a communication signal is disclosed. The method includes receiving, at an optical transceiver, an optical communication and constructing, at a baseband integrated circuit, a radio frequency communication based on the optical communication. The method also includes transmitting the radio frequency communication from a Sommerfeld-Goubau launcher as a surface wave along a power line to a strand mount device disposed on the power line. The strand mount device is configured to receive the radio frequency communication and wirelessly transmit it to a user device."

In light of the fact that power lines emit EM radiation, the choice was made to install the technology on power lines. The launchers propagate ambient electromagnetic radiation via two conical emitters placed on the powerlines; between these launchers is a waveguide. The waveguide allows propagated EM radiation to be transmitted up to terahertz microwave frequencies.

Sommerfeld-Goubau is originally a single-wire transmission technology. In the 1950s, George Goubau added a waveguide mechanism between the two conical emitters/receivers. Since then it has been closely held within DOD and government projects. Not only can it transmit wireless energy when met with a line-of-sight receiver — which Facebook has built — it is also capable of X-ray-type viewing, interferometry, and a range of other applications.

For full patent figures and description: Description

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Facebook: Line-of-Sight Patents

Google and Facebook's surface wave patents share a key inventor: Karthik Yogeeswaran, who specializes in electromagnetic surface wave transmission, microwave communications, and wireless determination of a device's energy state. The co-inventor of Facebook's LOS systems, Yael G. Maguire, is also Director of Engineering at Facebook.

Facebook's LOS receivers create a perimeter in which they emit and maintain a central frequency radius. The domed emitter pushes out a series of frequencies with smaller radii directed to positions by traversing along the curvature of the central emission.

"Various of the disclosed embodiments relate to line-of-sight (LOS), e.g., optical, based networks. Systems and methods are provided for aligning nodes in a line-of-sight communication network with their peers... routing algorithms may be implemented to address weather effects (e.g., fog) and congestion to optimize network service."

"Fog may be impenetrable at optical wavelengths, but not a microwave wavelength. Accordingly, nodes may switch to another communication medium (e.g., microwave) until the condition abates." — US20170223605A1, citation #0129

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Wireless Power: The Comparison

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Confirmation of Facebook's wireless power capability lies in an unsuspecting earlier patent — ostensibly about search queries — which describes receiving a wireless transmission of THz microwave frequencies:

"Antennae convert electric current into radio waves, and vice versa. During reception of signals, antennae convert the power of an incoming EM wave into a voltage at the terminals. The voltage may be transmitted to a receiver for amplification." — US8949250B1

Facebook US8949250B1 describes receiving and converting a wireless EM transmission into usable power via antenna:

" Antennae 134A-B are components that convert electric current into radio waves, and vice versa. During transmission of signals, a transmitter applies an oscillating radio frequency (RF) electric current to terminals of antenna 134A-B, and antenna 134A-B radiates the energy of the applied the current as electromagnetic (EM) waves. During reception of signals, antennae 134A-B convert the power of an incoming EM into a voltage at the terminals of antennae 134A-B. The voltage may be transmitted to a receiver for amplification."

VS.

Wireless Power Transmission Using Magnetic Resonance (Cornell College):

"1.3 INTENDED GOALS Our primary goal was to be able to wirelessly transfer power (in watts) of an AC oscillating waveform into a DC voltage on the receiving end, which could be used to power an electrical load (in watts) to demonstrate instantaneous power transfer. To do this, we intended to design a tunable oscillator capable of generating frequency in the RF band (1MHZ –20 MHz) and a power amplifier to supply enough power to be transmitted for powering the electrical load. In addition to this, we also intended to demonstrate the evanescent waves by the illustration of an exponential relationship of power transmitted to the receiver as a function of distance of separation between the receiver and transmitter coils"

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Facebook Patent Gallery

Patent	Title
US20160134372A1	Alignment in Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
US20170223605A1	Alignment in Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
US20180062741A1	Alignment in Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
US9661552B2	Alignment in Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
EP3018862A1	Association in Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
US20160134373A1	Deploying Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
US20180013491A1	Deploying Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
US8949250B1	Generating Recommended Search Queries (wireless power)

Full Facebook patent catalog: Facebook Patents

Facebook's MEMs Integration

Yael G. Maguire's display publication on Facebook Research is Physical Principles for Scalable Neural Recording:

"Simultaneously measuring the activities of all neurons in a mammalian brain at millisecond resolution is a challenge beyond the limits of existing techniques in neuroscience... We analyze the scalability of each method, concentrating on limitations imposed by spatiotemporal resolution, energy dissipation, and volume displacement. We also study the physics of powering and communicating with micro-scale devices embedded in brain tissue."

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The Perimeter: Terragraph

Facebook's LOS system perimeter is laid out by four transmitters, one on each corner (see Fig. 1). Square transceivers have been observed on streetlights in populated urban areas — generally mounted two per street corner, rotated 90 degrees from each other. These carry the word OPENWAY — an Itron product, the same company that produced smart meters.

These are Terragraph transceivers — confirmed via Yael Maguire's research page as the implementation target from 2017:

"Terragraph is a 60 GHz, multi-node wireless system focused on bringing high-speed internet connectivity to dense urban areas. Utilizing commercial off-the-shelf components and leveraging the cloud for intensive data processing, the Terragraph system is optimized for high-volume, low-cost production."

OpenWay — Itron Product Page

Interoperability between Facebook's LOS systems and Google's Goubau launchers remains ambiguous by design. The fundamentals alone suggest that the two are capable of interacting in a communications system where wireless power can be supplied and transmitted. Facebook has approximately 9 patents for the system, each with minor almost imperceptible differences — not a quick read.

For further context, look up Solaren Space Energy Transmission System. The same philosophies underlying the Goubau system appear to align precisely with the requirements of a long-range space-to-Earth transmission.

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Conclusion

This is an incredibly multifaceted technology with few comparisons. Both companies have been developing under the guise of an IoT communications network and activated every necessary patent since mid-2018 with minimal public attention — 2017–2018 being the year of final patent approvals.

Debate, corrections, and additions are welcome.

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Sources

1. Yeh, C.; Shimabukuro, F. (2000). The Essence of Dielectric Waveguides. Springer. — via Wikipedia: Goubau Line
2. Straw, R. Dean, Ed. (2000). The ARRL Antenna Book, 19th Ed. pp. 18.2–18.3. ISBN 0872598179
3. Lieberman, Leonard (April 1955). "The G-Line Antenna Lead-In." Radio and Television News. 53(4): 124–125.
4. Griffith, B. Whitfield, Jr. (2000). Radio-electronic Transmission Fundamentals. SciTech Publishing. pp. 307–308.
5. Harms, F. (1907). "Elektromagnetische Wellen an einem Draht mit isolierender zylindrischer Hülle." Annalen der Physik. 23. doi:10.1002/andp.19073280603.
6. Goubau, G. (1950). "Surface waves and their application to transmission lines." Journal of Applied Physics. 21: 119.
7. Sommerfeld, A. (1899). "Ueber die Fortpflanzung elektrodynamischer Wellen langs eines Drahts." Annalen der Physik und Chemie. 67: 233.
8. Stulle, F.; Bergoz, J. (2012). "The Goubau line — Surface waves for bench testing of beam instrumentation at high frequencies." Joint Accelerator Conferences. pp. 146–148.
9. Akalin, T. (2005). "High Resolution Biosensor based on Surface Wave Transmission Lines at THz Frequencies." 35th European Microwave Conf. Also: "Single-wire transmission lines at terahertz frequencies." IEEE-MTT, 54(6): 2762–2766.
10. "Single-wire radio frequency transmission lines in biological tissue." — https://aip.scitation.org/doi/pdf/10.1063/1.4919799
11. "Interferometry." — Wikipedia
12. "Terahertz Interferometer for Integrated Goubau-Line Waveguides." — https://aip.scitation.org/doi/pdf/10.1063/1.4919799
13. "A Microwave Dielectric Biosensor Based on Suspended Distributed MEMS Transmission Lines." — https://pureportal.strath.ac.uk/files-asset/402020/senj.pdf
14. "Once thought impossible, scientists demonstrate that liquid water can generate THz waves." — phys.org
15. "Generating terahertz radiation from water makes 'the impossible, possible'." — phys.org
16. "Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis Center." Department of Defense. — dtic.mil
17. "Industrial Assessment of the Microwave Power Tube Industry." — triodeel.com
18. "Skimming the Surface: The Return of Tesla's Surface Waves." — Popular Mechanics

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Patent Index

Patent	Title
US10044442B2	Quasi-Wireless Communication System (Google)
US20170237497A1	Google Surface Wave System
US20160134372A1	Alignment in Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
US20170223605A1	Alignment in Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
US20180062741A1	Alignment in Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
US9661552B2	Alignment in Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
EP3018862A1	Association in Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
US20160134373A1	Deploying Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
US20180013491A1	Deploying Line-of-Sight Communication Networks
US8949250B1	Generating Recommended Search Queries (wireless power)

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Internal Links

• Facebook Patent Catalog
• Google Patent & Info
• Sommerfeld-Goubau Overview
• Electromagnetic Surface Waves
• DOD Military Tech Documents
• MEMs
• Tesla & Goubau: A History of Wireless Power
• Goubau Reality — Initial Synopsis
• Karthik Yogeeswaran — Patent History