Miniature anechoic chamber for chronic exposure of small animals to plane-wave microwave fields.

A system of miniature anechoic chambers for chronically exposing a sizeable number of animals to microwave radiation was developed in which each animal can be individually exposed to microwaves or sham-exposed under controlled environmental conditions. Each animal is supplied with food and water by means designed to eliminate undesirable perturbations of the field. Field patterns in each chamber correspond closely to those made in large anechoic chambers; measurements indicate that a power density of 169 microW/cm2 per watt of input power can be provided, which results in peak SAR levels of 0.37 W/kg in cadavers of exposed rats.