A microwave radiometric method for the study of the semiconductor properties of living tissue: its potential application to tumour location.

A microwave (MW) radiometric method for the study of the semiconductor properties of tissue is proposed. This method makes use of the nonlinear properties of tissue in conjunction with its radiative properties as described by blackbody theory. The region of the body under examination is illuminated by a monochromatic MW field which 'mixes' with the MW field generated by this region. This 'mixing' gives rise to an intermodulation spectrum which should be detectable by using a radiometer tuned to a predetermined difference frequency, or alternatively a sum frequency of the intermodulation spectrum. Potential applications to tumour location and tumour research are discussed.