Concept for the controlled plane wave exposure for animal experiments using a parabolic reflector

Abstract

In this paper a low-cost concept for the controlled RF plane wave exposure for in vivo experiments is presented. The exposure setup is based on the use of a parabolic reflector to convert the incident spherical wavefront emanating from the primary source into a plane wave. The employed paraboloid is a common prime focus paraboloid used in satellite-TV links. The main problems of the focussed approach are identified and a solution based on a defocussed system is introduced. It results in a compact, cost-effective and still power-efficient setup for the RF exposure at microwave frequencies. Simulation results show a very good performance of the concept achieving a quasi-plane wave incident on the animals with minimum variations of the exposure dose.