School of Physics, Engineering and Technology
- School of Physics, Engineering and Technology
- Research and innovation
- Communication technologies
- Applied electromagnetics and devices
- Projects
- Measurement of the thermodynamic temperature of a body using a reverberation chamber
Measurement of the thermodynamic temperature of a body using a reverberation chamber.
All objects radiate electromagnetic noise with a power spectral density that depends on their thermodynamic temperature and their surface emissivity.
For temperatures in the range of interest in medicine, minus five Celsius to 40 Celsius or 268 K to 313 K, and frequencies in the region of one GHz, the power spectral density is directly proportional to the absolute temperature of the object.
This radiated power can be measured in a reverberation chamber. We have shown that the technique allows the temperature of the body to be measured independently of its surface emissivity. Trial measurements with a spherical container filled with nine g/litre saline solution, a simple human tissue simulant, have shown that the technique offers a non-invasive temperature measurement with an accuracy of about one degree.
We are working to refine this measurement technique which offers a non-invasive temperature measurement potentially independent of clothing. The relatively low frequency employed, 800 MHz, also offers the potential to measure the core body temperature rather than simply the surface temperature due to the skin depth at this frequency of several centimeters.
The work has been supported by a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship (EM-2021-039/4) held by Professor Emeritus Marvin.
Members
Publication
“Thermal Noise Measurements in a Reverberation Chamber”. Marvin A.C. & Bale S.J. in IEEE Transactions on EMC. 64, 3, pp 893-896, 4p.
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Professor Paul Mitchell
Head of Communication Technologies research theme
