Time-reversal imaging for ultra-wideband breast cancer detection: pulse design criteria considering multiple tumor masses

Abstract

Recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility of ultra-wideband (UWB) microwave imaging for early-stage breast cancer detection. This imaging modality is based upon probing the breast with UWB pulses transmitted from an array of antennas and then measuring the backscatter microwave signature. The first attempt to perform an UWB time- reversal (TR) for tumor detection was reported. The TR technique makes use of matched field processing to localize the brightest scatterers in a cluttered environment, and a suitably-designed UWB pulse may help to enhance the target response while canceling the background interference. In a previous work, we study the imaging quality of a monostatic TR mirror when different excitation pulses are employed. A number of pulse design criteria have been proposed, with each focusing on one particular aspect of clutter reduction or target-image improvement. The current paper extends by taking into consideration the following more general situations: presence of multiple tumor masses and unknown tumor size and dielectric properties.