A feasibility study of microjets applied to breast cancer detection

The feasibility of detecting small tumors of diameter 0.5mm inside a human breast is demonstrated using microjets. Microjets are photonic nanojets scaled to microwave frequencies wherein a plane-wave-illuminated dielectric sphere produces a high-intensity, narrow beam of light extending from the shadow-side surface. Contrasting electromagnetic properties (permittivity and conductivity) of normal and malignant breast tissue are the basis for the detection via a simple image processing approach to extract the backscattering from the tumor. Simple proof-of-concept simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the new approach.