A TEM cell model analysis for radiofrequency dosimetry improvement by computational means

A numerical model of a Transverse Electromagnetic Mode cell is constructed and analyzed from the perspective of using it for dosimetric studies of biological samples exposed inside it to radiofrequency (RF) fields. A TEM cell offers a controlled environment for biological experiments looking for electromagnetic field effects, being a versatile variant of free-space exposure. The specific absorption rate (SAR) of energy inside the samples is of main interest; however, in cases where the technological limitations make SAR measurement impossible (too low an incident field), SAR computation remains the sole solution. Present work analyses the accuracy of the computational model by comparing experimental dosimetric results with the computed ones, on five liquid samples undergoing exposure inside the TEM cell in thermal regime. Scattering parameters comparison indicate a reliable computational model of the cell, while SAR comparisons indicate that differences between measured and computed values may be significant for high-power incident RF.