Relationship Between Electromagnetic Radiation Regulations and Signal-to-Noise Ratio for Biomedical Radar Applications

This paper explores how biomedical imaging radar (BIR) signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be maximized, given the electromagnetic radiation restrictions for patient safety. First, the SNR will be studied for the Linear Frequency Modulated (LFM) waveform and the Gaussian pulse with varying duty cycles and the number of pulses. Then, the analysis is expanded to include the behavior of synthetic aperture radar via mechanical beam-steering. The current electromagnetic radiation safety literature focuses on exposure as a side effect, such as radiation while talking on a cell phone. There is no literature on intentionally exposing a person to a radar waveform within the current guidelines. On the radar side, there is no published analysis including the radiation dose as a factor when discussing the limitations and benefits of radar system parameters because traditional radar targets are inanimate objects. With the availability of hardware with increased dynamic range and bandwidth, radar now has potential for biomedical imaging applications, and the intersection of radar concepts and electromagnetic propagation with biomedical applications warrants further exploration. In particular, this paper will examine exposure limitations as a function of radar waveforms rather than constant exposure at a single frequency.