Andreas Christ

Dosimetric comparison of the specific anthropomorphic mannequin (SAM) to 14 anatomical head models using a novel definition for the mobile phone positioning

This paper presents new definitions for obtaining reproducible results in numerical phone dosimetry. Numerous numerical dosimetric studies have been published about the exposure of mobile phone users which concluded with conflicting results. However, many of these studies lack reproducibility due to shortcomings in the description of the phone positioning. The new approach was tested by two groups applying two different numerical program packages to compare the specific anthropomorphic mannequin (SAM) to 14 anatomically correct head models. A novel definition for the positioning of mobile phones next to anatomically correct head models is given along with other essential parameters to be reported. The definition is solely based on anatomical characteristics of the head. A simple up-to-date phone model was used to determine the peak spatial specific absorption rate (SAR) of mobile phones in SAM and in the anatomically correct head models. The results were validated by measurements. The study clearly shows that SAM gives a conservative estimate of the exposure in anatomically correct head models for head only tissue. Depending on frequency, phone position and head size the numerically calculated 10 g averaged SAR in the pinna can be up to 2.1 times greater than the peak spatial SAR in SAM. Measurements in small structures, such as the pinna, will significantly increase the uncertainty; therefore SAM was designed for SAR assessment in the head only. Whether SAM will provide a conservative value for the pinna depends on the pinna SAR limit of the safety standard considered.

Assessment of induced SAR in children exposed to electromagnetic plane waves between 10 MHz and 5.6 GHz

To avoid potentially adverse health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF), the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) has defined EMF reference levels from the basic restrictions on the induced whole-body-averaged specific absorption rate (SAR(wb)) and the peak 10 g spatial-averaged SAR (SAR(10g)). The objective of this study is to assess if the SAR in children remains below the basic restrictions upon exposure at the reference levels. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) modeling was used to calculate the SAR in six children and two adults when exposed to all 12 orthogonal plane wave configurations. A sensitivity study showed an expanded uncertainty of 53% (SAR(wb)) and 58% (SAR(10g)) due to variations in simulation settings and tissue properties. In this study, we found that the basic restriction on the SAR(wb) is occasionally exceeded for children, up to a maximum of 45% in small children. The maximum SAR(10g) values, usually found at body protrusions, remain under the limit for all scenarios studied. Our results are in good agreement with the literature, suggesting that the recommended ICNIRP reference levels may need fine tuning.

Review of FDTD time-stepping schemes for efficient simulation of electric conductive media

We review the time-backward (TB), the time-forward (TF), and time-average (TA), and the exponential time-differencing (ETD) time-stepping schemes of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for the efficient simulation of electric conductive media. The application of global time-step adjustment and adaptive-gridding techniques is addressed in an outlook.xa0© 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 25: 16–21, 2000.

Analysis of the accuracy of the numerical reflection coefficient of the finite-difference time-domain method at planar material interfaces

This paper presents a rigorous analysis of the numerical error of the reflection coefficient of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm at planar material boundaries. The derived expressions show that the numerical reflection depends on a large number of parameters, such as the grid resolution and the time step, the frequency, the angle, and the polarization of the incident wave. In conclusion, the FDTD algorithm does not accurately fulfil the boundary conditions for the continuity of the fields. The theoretical findings enable the detailed characterization of the field behavior in the grid at material interfaces. The numerical total reflection and the Brewster angle are studied as well as the discretization influences on the specific absorption rate (SAR).

Correction of the numerical reflection coefficient of the finite-difference time-domain method for efficient simulation of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Traditionally, one can calculate the update coefficients of the finite-difference time-domain algorithm at material interfaces by averaging the material properties of both sides, which leads to numerical inaccuracies of the reflection depending on the grid resolution. We propose a novel method to calculate the update coefficients such that the algorithm exactly fulfills the boundary conditions at a frequency of optimization, which allows a significant increase in grid spacing while limiting the numerical error. Using the proposed method, we reduced the computational expenses for the full-wave simulation of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers such that large structures can be treated without the need to exploit rotational symmetry. The method is demonstrated with the help of several examples.

Quantification of RF-exposure of the fetus using anatomical CAD-models in three different gestational stages.

Abstract This study analyzes the exposure of pregnant women and their fetuses in three different gestational stages to electromagnetic radiation in the radio frequency range in the near- and the far-field using numerical modeling. For far-field exposure, the power density at which the basic restriction for the whole body SAR is reached is calculated for both the mother and the fetus at whole body resonance and at frequencies between 450 MHz and 2,450 MHz. The near-field exposure is assessed at 450 MHz, 900 MHz, and 2,450 MHz using half wavelength dipoles as generic sources located at different locations around the abdomen of the mother. For the investigated cases, the exposure of the mother is always below or on the order of magnitude of the basic restriction for exposure at the reference level. When applying the reference levels for the general public, the fetus is sufficiently shielded by the mother. However, the basic restrictions for general public exposure can be exceeded in the fetus when the mother is exposed at reference levels for occupational conditions. For plane wave exposure at occupational levels, the whole body SAR in the fetus can exceed the basic restrictions for the general population by at least 1.8 dB, and in the near-field of professional devices, the 10 g SAR can be non-compliant with the product standard for the general public by > 3.5 dB.