FDTD analysis of temperature elevation in the human and rabbit phantoms due to plane-wave exposure at 2.45GHz

Abstract

The eye is said to be one of the most sensitive organs due to microwave heating. According to previous studies, the possibility of microwave-induced cataract formation has been experimentally investigated in rabbit and monkey eyes, while not for the human eye due to ethical reason. In the present study, we investigated the temperature elevation in the lens, the skin around the eye, and core temperature of numeric human and rabbit phantoms for plane-wave exposure at 2.45GHz. The temperature elevations in the human and rabbit phantoms were compared with the threshold temperatures inducing cataract, thermal pain in the skin, and reversible health effects such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke. The core temperature elevation is shown to be essential both in the human and rabbit phantoms as suggested in the international guidelines and standard.