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Biophysical Mechanisms for
Nonthermal Microwave Effects
Igor Belyaev
5.1 THERMAL AND NT BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF MWs
Exposures to radio-frequency (RF, 3 kHz–300 GHz) electromagnetic radiation or microwaves
(MWs, 300MHz–300 GHz) vary in many parameters: intensity (incident ux power density [PD],
specic absorption rate [SAR]), wavelength/frequency, near eld/far eld, polarization (linear, cir-
cular), continuous wave (CW) and pulsed elds (which include variables such as pulse repetition
rate, pulse width or duty cycle, pulse shape, and pulse to average power), modulation (amplitude,
frequency, phase, complex), static magnetic eld (SMF) and ...