Physical Interactions Between Millimeter Waves and Human Body: From Macro- to Micro-Scale

Abstract

With the massive deployment of 5G worldwide the entire population is expected to be exposed to millimeter waves (mmWs), representing new frequencies recently introduced into our environmental electromagnetic (EM) background. From this perspective, the interactions between mmWs and human tissues have been actively investigated during the past few years at various levels. This article reviews recent publications in this field, from macro- to micro-scale. The role of different parameters is considered, including the characteristics of the impinging field (angle of incidence, polarization, and source type), age, presence of clothing, curvature of the body surface, and inter-individual differences. Finally, findings on recent micro-dosimetry studies at mmWs are summarized highlighting the impact of micro-scale heterogeneity related to the presence of skin sub-structures and organelles inside the cells on the local power distribution and heating.