Preface
ix
The objective of this book is to provide a comprehensive discussion of the interactions of electromagnetic fields and radiation with biological systems, spanning a
variety of topics from static fields to terahertz waves in seven chapters. Each chapter includes materials written by scientists who have made major contributions to the
relevant subjects. Particular emphasis is placed on the coupling of electromagnetic
fields and radiation into biological systems. Each chapter focuses on induced fields
and absorbed energy from applied or exposure fields, and a review of the literature
is included to explain the motivation for writing the chapter. The relevant literature is summarized so that the reader can understand why the topic is of interest or
importance and this summary discusses current progress on the subject. The aim is
to achieve a quantitative understanding of the relationships between the applied and
induced electromagnetic fields and radiation that cause biological effects and enable
medical applications.
A wide range of analytical techniques, computational algorithms, and/or experimental methods may be employed to determine the coupling of electromagnetic fields
and radiation into biological systems. Hybrid approaches involving both analytical and
numerical methods have been used. Although this book spotlights advanced experimental and computational techniques and current results on isolated cells and realistic
anatomical models, it begins with a brief introduction of Maxwell’s equations, which is
the fundamental mathematical statement of the physical laws that govern all electromagnetic phenomena. It is significant to note that although most theories of classical
physics were fundamentally modified as a result of the introduction of Albert Einstein’s
special theory of relativity, Maxwell’s equations have remained consistent and intact
over the years in describing the known physical phenomena over the entire experimentally observed nonionizing electromagnetic spectrum.
Knowledge of internal electric and magnetic fields, induced current densities, and
specific absorption rates (SAR) inside the biological medium is fundamental in studying biological responses to, health effects of, and medical applications of electromagnetic fields and radiation. The discussions in Chapter 1 provide a basic understanding of
essential interactions and field coupling phenomena to facilitate better appreciation and
understanding of their use and importance. Electromagnetic energy at both high and
low frequencies can be transmitted into a biological medium. Using canonical geometries, phantom models, and anatomically based representations of the human body,
results obtained from closed-form analytical solutions and computer methods to predict
the internal fields and their distributions are discussed and salient features are summarized. Specifically, they include induced static electric and magnetic fields, transmission of low-frequency and quasistatic electric and magnetic fields, transmission and
reflection of RF fields at planar interfaces, RF coupling to bodies with curvature and
in the near field, dosimetry and energy absorption from handheld cell phones in anatomical human models, SAR in childlike head models, fields from body-worn devices,
and whole-body exposure from cell phone base stations. The coupling of short (narrowwidth) and ultra-wideband (UWB) pulses into the human body is analyzed for planar,
spherical, and full-scale anatomical models. Recent advances in mmW technologies and
beyond have motivated a wide range of telecommunication, industrial, medical, and
scientific applications including security screening in the form of whole-body image
ix
The objective of this book is to provide a comprehensive discussion of the interactions of electromagnetic fields and radiation with biological systems, spanning a
variety of topics from static fields to terahertz waves in seven chapters. Each chapter includes materials written by scientists who have made major contributions to the
relevant subjects. Particular emphasis is placed on the coupling of electromagnetic
fields and radiation into biological systems. Each chapter focuses on induced fields
and absorbed energy from applied or exposure fields, and a review of the literature
is included to explain the motivation for writing the chapter. The relevant literature is summarized so that the reader can understand why the topic is of interest or
importance and this summary discusses current progress on the subject. The aim is
to achieve a quantitative understanding of the relationships between the applied and
induced electromagnetic fields and radiation that cause biological effects and enable
medical applications.
A wide range of analytical techniques, computational algorithms, and/or experimental methods may be employed to determine the coupling of electromagnetic fields
and radiation into biological systems. Hybrid approaches involving both analytical and
numerical methods have been used. Although this book spotlights advanced experimental and computational techniques and current results on isolated cells and realistic
anatomical models, it begins with a brief introduction of Maxwell’s equations, which is
the fundamental mathematical statement of the physical laws that govern all electromagnetic phenomena. It is significant to note that although most theories of classical
physics were fundamentally modified as a result of the introduction of Albert Einstein’s
special theory of relativity, Maxwell’s equations have remained consistent and intact
over the years in describing the known physical phenomena over the entire experimentally observed nonionizing electromagnetic spectrum.
Knowledge of internal electric and magnetic fields, induced current densities, and
specific absorption rates (SAR) inside the biological medium is fundamental in studying biological responses to, health effects of, and medical applications of electromagnetic fields and radiation. The discussions in Chapter 1 provide a basic understanding of
essential interactions and field coupling phenomena to facilitate better appreciation and
understanding of their use and importance. Electromagnetic energy at both high and
low frequencies can be transmitted into a biological medium. Using canonical geometries, phantom models, and anatomically based representations of the human body,
results obtained from closed-form analytical solutions and computer methods to predict
the internal fields and their distributions are discussed and salient features are summarized. Specifically, they include induced static electric and magnetic fields, transmission of low-frequency and quasistatic electric and magnetic fields, transmission and
reflection of RF fields at planar interfaces, RF coupling to bodies with curvature and
in the near field, dosimetry and energy absorption from handheld cell phones in anatomical human models, SAR in childlike head models, fields from body-worn devices,
and whole-body exposure from cell phone base stations. The coupling of short (narrowwidth) and ultra-wideband (UWB) pulses into the human body is analyzed for planar,
spherical, and full-scale anatomical models. Recent advances in mmW technologies and
beyond have motivated a wide range of telecommunication, industrial, medical, and
scientific applications including security screening in the form of whole-body image