Interaction of ELF-LF electromagnetic fields with biological systems and conducting objects

A knowledge of the induced field and current in a biological body is very important for investigating the potential health hazard due to the EM field of an extremely high voltage (EHV) power line and ELF antenna systems. This thesis presents a new numerical technique for quantifying the induced electric field at the body surface and inside the body as well as the steady and the transient current induced in a biological body that has a realistic shape and situated in a realistic environment, when exposed to ELF-LF electromagnetic field.s;To compare the SCIE with other theoretical methods, a tensor electric field integral equation (EFIE) is applied to calculate the induced electric field inside the biological body. By subdividing the body into many small cubic cells, the Moment Method is used to transform the integral equation to a large matrix equation.;The coupled surface charge integral equation has also been applied to determine floating potentials and short-circuit currents of human body and metallic object at proximity immersed in a 60-Hz electric field. Equivalent circuits of a human body and a vehicle are constructed. The shock current created between the vehicle and the nearby human body under the exposure of a high voltage 60-Hz electric field is analyzed by utilizing the equivalent circuit model.;To treat heterogeneous-body problem, the SCIE method is combined with an impedance network method by which the body is modeled as an equivalent impedance network and the induced surface charge is viewed as an equivalent current source. The current flowing at any impedance can be determined from which the induced current density inside the body can be mapped. The method can be applied to any heterogeneous biological body when exposed to ELF-LF electric field. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.);As an introduction, the interaction of an ELF-LF electric field with a biological system is considered. An integral equation for the induced surface charge density, surface charge integral equation (SCIE), is developed. After the induced surface charge density is determined, the electric field and the current density induced inside the body can be computed.