Lack of Behavioral Effects of High-Peak-Power Microwave Pulses from an Axially Extracted Virtual Cathode Oscillator

The development of high-power microwave (HPM) generators capable of producing extremely high-peak-power pulses for defense, commercial, and biomedical applications (1,2) has raised concern for the safety of the personnel operating such equipment. Occupational safety standards for radiofrequency expo...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hjeresen, Dennis L, Umbarger, Kathryn O, Klauenberg, B J, Erwin, David N
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
BEHAVIOR
BIOMEDICINE
CONICAL ANTENNAS
DENSITY
EMITTERS
EXPOSURE(PHYSIOLOGY)
HIGH POWER
HIGH POWER MICROWAVE GENERATORS
HORN ANTENNAS
IRRADIATION
JOBS
MICROWAVE GENERATORS
MICROWAVE OSCILLATORS
MICROWAVES
OUTPUT
PE62202F
PEAK POWER
PERSONNEL
PULSES
RADIATION
RADIATION EFFECTS
Radiobiology
RADIOFREQUENCY
RESPONSE(BIOLOGY)
SAFETY
TRANSFORMERS
VIRTUAL CATHODE OSCILLATORS
WIDTH
WUUSAFSAM7757011L
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Summary:The development of high-power microwave (HPM) generators capable of producing extremely high-peak-power pulses for defense, commercial, and biomedical applications (1,2) has raised concern for the safety of the personnel operating such equipment. Occupational safety standards for radiofrequency exposure are based on the average-power density of irradiation and may lack applicability in situations where peak-power density is quite high while average-power density is relatively low. A battery of behavioral experiments was conducted to evaluate possible biological effects of high-power microwave (HPM) pulses generated by the Transformer Energized Megavolt Pulsed Output (TEMPO) microwave emitter, an axially extracted Virtual Cathode Oscillator (VIRCATOR). Free space electromagnetic energy in the frequency range 2.01 to 2.57 GHz (mean frequency = 2.11 + or - 0.09 SD) was radiated by conical horn in a TM01 mode. The overall pulse width was approximately 85 ns, with maximum power densities ranging as high as 24.11 kW/cm sq. per pulse (mean peak-power density = 10.79 KW/cm sq. + or - 0.35 SEM). The results suggest that peak power is not as important as average power in causing deleterious biological effects.