Numerical simulation of pressure waves in the cochlea induced by a microwave pulse

Abstract

The pressure waves developing at the cochlea by the irradiation of the body with a plane wave microwave pulse are obtained by numerical simulation, employing a two-step finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm. First, the specific absorption rate (SAR) distribution is obtained by solving the Maxwell equations on a FDTD grid. Second, the temperature rise due to this SAR distribution is used to formulate the thermoelastic equations of motion, which are discretized and solved by the FDTD method. The calculations are performed for anatomically based full body human models, as well as for a head model. The dependence of the pressure amplitude at the cochlea on the frequency, the direction of propagation, and the polarization of the incident electromagnetic radiation, as well as on the pulse width, was investigated.

Sonic Health Attacks by Pulsed Microwaves in Havana Revisited [Health Matters]

“…In one case, the reported threshold peak incident power density for an anatomical head model is 3 kW/m 2 for 20-μs pulses at 915 MHz [11]. For the other, the threshold is about 50 kW/m 2 for 20-μs pulses at 2,450 MHz [12]. The corresponding peak incident power densities at the 120-dB injury level are therefore between 3 and 50 GW/m 2 per pulse, which bracket the value of 14 GW/m 2 per pulse from the previous calculation for near-zone exposures.…”

The Microwave Auditory Effect

“…In one case, the reported threshold peak incident power density for an anatomic head model is 3 kW/m 2 for 20-s pulses at 915 MHz [60]. For the other, the threshold is about 50 kW/m 2 for 20-s pulses at 2450 MHz [62]. The corresponding peak incident power densities at the 120 dB injury level are therefore between 3 and 50 GW/m 2 per pulse, which bracket the 14 GW/m 2 per pulse from the calculations for near-zone exposures.…”

“…A generalization of the methodology, again using a homogeneous sphere head model but with an arbitrary SAR pattern of spherical symmetry, has also been reported [59]. More precise computer simulations of the properties of microwave-pulseinduced sound pressure wave using realistic anatomic head models have also been conducted [7,58,[60][61][62].…”

Microwave Auditory Effects Among U.S. Government Personnel Reporting Directional Audible and Sensory Phenomena in Havana

“…In one case, the reported threshold peak incident power density for an anatomical head model is 3 kW/m 2 for 20-µs pulses at 915 MHz [22]. For the other, the threshold is about 50 kW/m 2 for 20-µs pulses at 2450 MHz [23]. The corresponding peak incident power densities at the 120 dB injury level are therefore between 3 and 50 GW/m 2 per pulse, which is within the range of above calculation for nearzone exposures.…”