The first edition of the Radiofrequency Radiation
Dosimetry Handbook, SAM-TR-76-35 (September 1976), was
published with the objective of providing the best
information then available about electromagnetic energy
absorption. In that edition the dosimetric data were limited
mostly to the lower part of the electromagnetic spectrum,
principally in the 10 kHz-1.5 GHz range, and also to
homogeneous spheroidal and ellipsoidal models of humans and
other animals. The data clearly demonstrated the importance
of frequency, geometric configuration, and orientation in the
assessment of biological effects induced by radiofrequency
(RF) radiation.
The second edition of the handbook, SAM-TR-78-22 (May
1978), provided expanded dosimetric data. The frequency range
was broadened to the 10 MHz-100 GHz band. The data included
absorption of models irradiated by planewaves in free space,
absorption of models on or near ground planes, heat-response
calculations, and some scattering data. Empirical relations
for calculating the rate of energy absorption; some rules of
thumb for electromagnetic absorption; and data from the
literature for metabolic rates, dielectric constants, and
conductivities were also included as well as tables
summarizing the experimental data and theoretical techniques
found in the literature.
The third edition of the handbook, SAM-TR-80-32 (August
1980), was published mainly to provide new data on near-field
absorption, which up until that time was scarce because
near-field calculations are so difficult to make. The data
consisted of specific absorption rates (SARs) for spheroids
and cylinders irradiated by short dipoles and small loops,
and a block model of man irradiated by simple aperture
fields. Also included were absorption data for spheroidal
models irradiated by circularly polarized planewaves,
multilayered cylindrical models irradiated by planewaves, and
spheroidal models irradiated in K polarization by planewaves
for frequency ranges in which calculations had not been
possible for the second edition. Tables in the second edition
that summarized experimental data and theoretical techniques
found in the literature were updated; although generally
speaking, material contained in the first and second editions
was not included in the third edition.
The third edition also had a section on dosimetric
techniques, which included a history of electromagnetic
dosimetry and a section on qualitative near-field dosimetry.
The material on qualitative explanations of near-field SARs
is especially important because near-field SARs cannot be
normalized to incident-power density, as planewave SARs can
be. Since near-field radiation fields vary so much from one
radiation source to another, near-field dosimetric data for
specific sources could not be given; only near-field SAR data
for simple illustrative -radiation fields were presented.
The purpose of this fourth edition is to provide a
convenient compilation of information contained in the
previous editions, including updated tables of published
data, and to add new information.