Characterization of a laboratory set-up for assessing the feasibility of magnetic nanoparticles enhanced microwave imaging

Magnetic nanoparticles enhanced microwave imaging has been recently proposed as a new diagnostic tool to detect and image breast cancer. This communication summarizes some of the results of a numerical and an experimental characterization of a laboratory set-up, which will be exploited for a proof-of-concept assessment of the technique. The set-up includes optimized antennas and matching medium, and a simplified, but realistic, phantom of the breast. Measurements fully support numerical simulations, thus providing a firm basis for the aforementioned validation.