3-D DIELECTRIC IMAGING WITH MICROWAVE FREQUENCY SWEEPING

RESEARCH ON A TECHNIQUE OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL FOURIER MAPPING, BY FREQUENCY SWEEPING, OF MICROWAVE SCATTERING IS PROPOSED. THE RESEARCH IS EXPECTED TO LEAD TO DEVELOPMENT OF AN IMAGING SYSTEM FOR DIELECTRIC EVALUATION AND FOR MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS OF HUMAN ANATOMY. WHILE THERE EXIST MANY IMAGING TECHNIQUES, DIRECT IMAGING OF DIELECTRIC PROFILES IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE. THE MICROWAVE DOSE FOR IMAGING OFHUMAN BODY IS EXPECTED TO BE IN THE ORDER OF MICROWATT PER GRAM TO TENS OF MICROWATT PER GRAM, WHICH IS TWO TO THREE ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE BELOW THE SAFETY LEVEL. THE IMAGE WILL PROVIDE A DIELECTRIC PROFILE OF THE TARGET WITH A RESOLUTIONUP TO ABOUT 3 MM IN EACH OF THE THREE DIMENSIONS. DUE TO THE SENSITIVITY OF DIELECTRIC PERMITTIVITY WITH RESPECT TO VARIOUS BIOLOGICAL TISSUES, IT WILL, COMPARING TO EXISTING IMAGING DEVICES, PROVIDE GREATER CONTRAST BETWEEN TUMOR AND NORMAL TISSUES, AND BE APPLICABLE FOR LOCALIZATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF TUMORS AND FOR PLANNING OF TUMOR TREATMENT. THIS IMAGING TECHNIQUE MAY ALSO BE UTILIZED IN NON-INVASIVE EVALUATION OF OTHER MATERIALS WHERE DIELECTRIC PROFILE IS NEEDED, OR IN THE MAPPING OF OTHER PHYSICAL PARAMETERS TO WHICH DIELECTRIC PERMITTIVITY IS SENSITIVE, SUCH AS TEMPERATURE OR PRESSURE.