Theoretical Estimations of Safety Thresholds for Terahertz Exposure of Surface Tissues

This paper contributes to the topic of radiation safety in the THz band by providing theoretical estimations of the permissible incident power densities over 100 GHz-10 THz. Microthermal absorption has been characterized and a worst-case analysis has been done to provide thresholds for the tissue-internal electric field strength at THz frequencies. Dielectric models for the skin and the cornea of the eye as exposed surface tissues have been constructed and used to estimate the corresponding thresholds for incident power densities. The findings of this study shall be useful as a new theoretical framework for future studies related to THz radiation safety and regulation.