Virus Detection in the Microwave Regime Through an Antenna Workbench

This paper addresses a sensing approach for virus detection harnessing the microwave resonant absorption property thereof. To this end, we contemplate two viruses, COVID-19 and the H3N2. Upon interacting with the virus, an incident monochromatic electromagnetic field makes electric charges distributed in their structure to move harmonically in accordance with Lorentz's force law. This, in turn, excites a mechanical vibration with resonant characteristics that dissipates the energy in the system. By modeling it as a damped double mass-spring system, we estimate the electromagnetic absorption cross-section of virus samples under consideration, and thereafter, we compute their microwave absorption spectrum in an antenna-based sensor and estimate the 3 dB sensitivity limit of the device. Overall, this approach provides a method to implement an economical detection system sensitive to multiple pathogens that can leverage both the RF and the communication platforms of the 5G and 6G technologies.