Finite-Difference Time-Domain electromagnetic and thermal modeling of skeletal muscle exposed to millimeter waves

Investigations of 94 GHz millimeter wave bioeffects have used an intact fast twitch muscle, isolated from a mouse hind foot, which is 3 mm long and 1 mm thick. Since the muscle does not have an intact vascular system to efficiently remove heat possibly generated by the exposure, observed effects on muscle contraction may be thermal in nature. To address this issue, a detailed model of the skeletal muscle was used to compute the electric fields within the muscle, using the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method, and the resulting temperature change distribution. Results indicate little evidence of micro-heating during exposures.