Guest Editorial: Special Cluster on Microwave Medical Imaging

T HE CONCEPT of using of nonionizing microwave-frequency electromagnetic waves to image the human body has intrigued engineers and clinicians alike for several decades. Low-power microwaves can be used to sense the dielectric properties of human tissue in a low-cost manner that does not pose health risks to the patient. Yet numerous challenges need to be overcome in order to achieve the promise of microwave imaging in a clinical setting. The letters in this Special Cluster explore solutions to a variety of these challenges. Throughout this editorial, our use of the term “microwave imaging” denotes an active approach wherein microwave energy is transmitted into tissue. This is in contrast to passive microwave imaging, known as radiometry or thermography (e.g., [1]), wherein microwave emissions due to blackbody radiation are detected and used to measure temperature differences in tissue