Multiple Window Based Ultrawideband Microwave Imaging for Early-Stage Breast Cancer Detection

In this paper we propose a multiple window (MW) method for ultrawideband microwave-based breast cancer detection in low signal-to-clutter ratio tissue environments. Multiple space-time beamformers or windows are employed to obtain approximately statistically independent images of backscattered power which are then averaged. Areas of large backscattered power suggest the presence of tumors because of the relatively large dielectric properties contrast between normal and malignant tissue. We develop a criterion for designing the multiple beamformers and illustrate the performance of the MW method with simulated data from a 2-D realistic numerical breast model. We demonstrate that the MW method yields higher signal-to-clutter ratios than the penalized least-squares based beamformer for various tumor locations