Further Developments of a Magnetic Near-Field Applicator for Microwave Imaging in Air

In this paper, we present the latest design of a magnetic field applicator designed to expose a dielectric body to electromagnetic microwave radiation by means of a magnetic near-field for microwave imaging purposes. Numerical simulations show that unwanted surface waves created from electric fringing fields of the applicator can be separated from the desired fields inside the breast due to their different polarizations. The applicator working principle is demonstrated in an experimental measurement setup with three different tissue-mimicking loads. A propagating electromagnetic wave is invoked directly inside the load based on its dielectric properties, leading to a decreasing reflection coefficient with increasing load permittivity, which could be verified in numerical simulations and experimental measurements.