A FDTD Analysis to Investigate Capabilities of an UWB Radar for Breast Tumor Detection

A finite difference time domain (FDTD) analysis is applied to investigate capabilities of an ultra-wide band (UWB) radar system to detect a breast tumor. A three-dimensional numerical breast model with a small tumor is used in these investigations. FDTD simulations are carried out assuming a quasi planar incident wave equivalent to that in a planar UWB radar system with a step-frequency synthesized pulse. Different time snap shots of the electromagnetic field are recorded to learn about reflections and scattering in different layers of the breast phantom