Microwave auditory effect

Last updated

The microwave auditory effect, also known as the microwave hearing effect or the Frey effect, consists of the human perception of sounds induced by pulsed or modulated radio frequencies. The perceived sounds are generated directly inside the human head without the need of any receiving electronic device. The effect was first reported by persons working in the vicinity of radar transponders during World War II. In 1961, the American neuroscientist Allan H. Frey studied this phenomenon and was the first to publish information on the nature of the microwave auditory effect. [1] [2] The cause is thought to be thermoelastic expansion of portions of the auditory apparatus, [3] although competing theories explain the results of holographic interferometry tests differently. [4] [ further explanation needed ]

Contents

Research in the U.S.

Allan H. Frey was the first American to publish on the microwave auditory effect (MAE). Frey's "Human auditory system response to modulated electromagnetic energy" appeared in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 1961. [1] In his experiments, the subjects were discovered to be able to hear appropriately pulsed microwave radiation, from a distance of a few inches to hundreds of feet from the transmitter. In Frey's tests, a repetition rate of 50 Hz was used, with pulse width between 10–70 microseconds. The perceived loudness was found to be linked to the peak power density, instead of average power density. At 1.245 GHz, the peak power density for perception was below 80 mW/cm2. According to Frey, the induced sounds were described as "a buzz, clicking, hiss, or knocking, depending on several transmitter parameters, i.e., pulse width and pulse-repetition rate". By changing transmitter parameters, Frey was able to induce the "perception of severe buffeting of the head, without such apparent vestibular symptoms as dizziness or nausea". Other transmitter parameters induced a pins and needles sensation. Frey experimented with nerve-deaf subjects, and speculated that the human detecting mechanism was in the cochlea, but at the time of the experiment the results were inconclusive due to factors such as tinnitus. [1] [5]

Auditory sensations of clicking or buzzing have been reported by some workers at modern-day microwave transmitting sites that emit pulsed microwave radiation. Auditory responses to transmitted frequencies from approximately 200 MHz to at least 3 GHz have been reported. The cause is thought to be thermoelastic expansion of portions of auditory apparatus, and the generally accepted mechanism is rapid (but minuscule, in the range of 10−5 °C) heating of brain by each pulse, and the resulting pressure wave traveling through the skull to the cochlea. [5]

In 1975, an article by neuropsychologist Don Justesen discussing radiation effects on human perception referred to an experiment by Joseph C. Sharp and Mark Grove at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research during which Sharp and Grove reportedly were able to recognize nine out of ten words transmitted by "voice modulated microwaves". Although it's been reported that "power levels required for transmitting sound... [would cause] brain damage due to... thermal effects" [6] the pops associated with the microwave audio effect are not sustained over time, and the effect is due to brief, sudden, increases in temperature. [7] So while threshold levels of for the microwave audio effect of 267mW/cm² for 1.3GHz and 5000mW/cm² 2.9GHz, respectively, were reported by Frey in 1961, for the peak amplitude (providing the pops) and would only give an average (sustained) power density of only 0.4mW/cm² and 2mW/cm² respectively [7] similar to current cellphones. However, it's been argued that despite waves the microwave auditory effect only constituting a rapid 10−6 °C rise in temperature, for threshold peaks on each pulse, that, at the least, a strong peak of around 1400 kW/cm² (1.4 billion mW/cm²) would certainly be harmful due to the resulting pressure wave. [8]

Electronic warfare

In 2003–04, WaveBand Corp. had a contract from the U.S. Navy for the design of an MAE system they called MEDUSA (Mob Excess Deterrent Using Silent Audio) that was intended to temporarily incapacitate personnel through remote application. [9] Reportedly, Sierra Nevada Corp. took over the contract from WaveBand. [10] Experts, such as Kenneth Foster, a University of Pennsylvania bioengineering professor who published research on the microwave auditory effect in 1974, have discounted the effectiveness of the proposed device. Foster said that because of human biophysics, the device "would kill you well before you were bothered by the noise". According to former professor at the University of Washington Bill Guy, "There's a misunderstanding by the public and even some scientists about this auditory effect," and "there couldn't possibly be a hazard from the sound, because the heat would get you first". [11]

Microwave effects have been proposed as the cause of otherwise unexplained illnesses of U.S. diplomats in Cuba and China occurring since 2017 and 2018. [12] [13] [14] However, this explanation has been debated. Bioengineer Kenneth R. Foster noted of the health effects observed in the diplomats, "it's crazy, but it's sure as heck not microwaves." [15] As of October 2021, a microwave cause remains one of the major hypotheses. [16] [17]

Conspiracy theories

Numerous individuals suffering from auditory hallucinations, delusional disorders, [18] or other mental illnesses have claimed that government agents use forms of mind control technologies based on microwave signals to transmit sounds and thoughts into their heads as a form of electronic harassment, referring to the alleged technology as "voice to skull" or "V2K". [19]

There are extensive online support networks and numerous websites [18] maintained by people fearing mind control. California psychiatrist Alan Drucker has identified evidence of delusional disorders on many of these websites and other psychologists are divided over whether such sites reinforce mental troubles, or act as a form of group social support. [20] [21]

Psychologists have identified many examples of people reporting 'mind control experiences' (MCEs) on self-published web pages that are "highly likely to be influenced by delusional beliefs". Common themes include "Bad Guys" using "psychotronics" and "microwaves", frequent mention of the CIA's MKULTRA project, and frequent citing of Frey's 1962 paper entitled "Human auditory system response to modulated electromagnetic energy". [22] [23]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Allan H. Frey (1962). "Human auditory system response to modulated electromagnetic energy". Journal of Applied Physiology . 17 (4): 689–692. doi:10.1152/jappl.1962.17.4.689. PMID   13895081. S2CID   12359057. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Allan Frey: A Pioneer of Radiation Research". Slow Digital. December 7, 2017. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  3. ↑ Wagner, Gregory R.; Rest, Kathleen M. (2005). Levy, Barry S. (ed.). Preventing Occupational Disease and Injury. American Public Health Association. ISBN   978-0-87553-043-7.
  4. ↑ Holographic Assessment of Microwave Hearing, Science 05 Sep 1980: Vol. 209, Issue 4461, pp. 1144-1145
  5. 1 2 Ronald Kitchen (2001). RF and Microwave Radiation Safety Handbook . Newnes. ISBN   978-0-7506-4355-9.
  6. ↑ Armin Krishnan (4 October 2016). Military Neuroscience and the Coming Age of Neurowarfare. Taylor & Francis. pp. 125–. ISBN   978-1-317-09607-8.
  7. 1 2 Elder, JA; Chou, CK (2003). "Auditory response to pulsed radiofrequency energy". Bioelectromagnetics. 24 (S6): S162–S173. doi:10.1002/bem.10163. PMID   14628312.
  8. ↑ Lin, James, C. (2022). "Response to the Letter by Foster, Chou, and Croft [Speaker's Corner]". IEEE Microwave Magazine. 23 (4): 95. doi:10.1109/MMM.2022.3147174 . Retrieved 21 February 2023.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "Navy search database – summary report: Remote Personnel Incapacitation System". SBIR/STTR Search Database (Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer). U.S. Navy. Archived from the original on 14 February 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  10. ↑ Hambling, David (3 July 2008). "Microwave ray gun controls crowds with noise". New Scientist . Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  11. ↑ Heger, Monica. "Why Microwave Auditory Effect Crowd-Control Gun Won't Work - Experts say you'd fry before you heard anything". IEEE Spectrum, July 208. IEEE. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  12. ↑ Broad, William (September 1, 2018). "Microwave Weapons Are Prime Suspect in Ills of U.S. Embassy Workers". New York Times. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  13. ↑ Katie Bo Williams & Jeremy Herb, US investigating possible mysterious directed energy attack near White House Archived April 29, 2021, at the Wayback Machine , CNN (April 29, 2021).
  14. ↑ Consensus Study Report: An Assessment of Illness in U.S. Government Employees and Their Families at Overseas Embassies Archived December 9, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , Standing Committee to Advise the Department of State on Unexplained Health Effects on U.S. Government Employees and Their Families at Overseas Embassies, of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2020).
  15. ↑ Kaplan, Sarah; Achenbach, Joel (September 6, 2018). "Scientists and doctors zap theory that microwave weapon injured Cuba diplomats". The Washington Post . Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  16. ↑ "Havana Syndrome: Over 200 Cases Documented Yet Cause Remains A Mystery : Consider This from NPR". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  17. ↑ "Microwave weapons that could cause Havana Syndrome exist, experts say". the Guardian. 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  18. 1 2 Monroe, Angela (13 November 2012), Electronic Harassment: Voices in My Mind, archived from the original on 2015-08-29, retrieved 2016-03-10
  19. ↑ Weinberger, Sharon (January 14, 2007). "Mind Games". Washington Post . Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  20. ↑ Monroe, Angela (13 November 2012), Electronic Harassment: Voices in My Mind, KMIR News, archived from the original on 2015-08-29, retrieved 2016-03-10
  21. ↑ Kershaw, Sarah (November 12, 2008). "Sharing Their Demons on the Web". New York Times .
  22. ↑ Bell, Vaughan; Maiden, Carla; Muñoz-Solomando, Antonio; Reddy, Venu (2006). "'Mind control' experiences on the internet: implications for the psychiatric diagnosis of delusions". Psychopathology. 39 (2). Psychopathology, 39(2), 87-91: 87–91. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.99.9838 . doi:10.1159/000090598. PMID   16391510. S2CID   6362668.
  23. ↑ Frey, Allan H. (July 1962). "Human auditory system response to modulated electromagnetic energy". Journal of Applied Physiology. 17 (4): 689–692. doi:10.1152/jappl.1962.17.4.689. PMID   13895081. S2CID   12359057.

References and further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electromagnetic radiation</span> Waves of the electromagnetic field

In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) consists of waves of the electromagnetic (EM) field, which propagate through space and carry momentum and electromagnetic radiant energy. Types of EMR include radio waves, microwaves, infrared, (visible) light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays, all of which are part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electromagnetic spectrum</span> Range of frequencies or wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation

The electromagnetic spectrum is the full range of electromagnetic radiation, organized by frequency or wavelength. The spectrum is divided into separate bands, with different names for the electromagnetic waves within each band. From low to high frequency these are: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. The electromagnetic waves in each of these bands have different characteristics, such as how they are produced, how they interact with matter, and their practical applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microwave</span> Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths from 1 m to 1 mm

Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than other radio waves but longer than infrared waves. Its wavelength ranges from about one meter to one millimeter, corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz, broadly construed. A more common definition in radio-frequency engineering is the range between 1 and 100 GHz, or between 1 and 3000 GHz . The prefix micro- in microwave is not meant to suggest a wavelength in the micrometer range; rather, it indicates that microwaves are small, compared to the radio waves used in prior radio technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electromagnetic radiation and health</span> Aspect of public health

Electromagnetic radiation can be classified into two types: ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation, based on the capability of a single photon with more than 10 eV energy to ionize atoms or break chemical bonds. Extreme ultraviolet and higher frequencies, such as X-rays or gamma rays are ionizing, and these pose their own special hazards: see radiation poisoning. The field strength of electromagnetic radiation is measured in volts per meter (V/m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tin foil hat</span> Hat and stereotype for conspiracy theorists

A tin foil hat is a hat made from one or more sheets of tin foil or aluminium foil, or a piece of conventional headgear lined with foil, often worn in the belief or hope that it shields the brain from threats such as electromagnetic fields, mind control, and mind reading. The notion of wearing homemade headgear for such protection has become a popular stereotype and byword for paranoia, persecutory delusions, and belief in pseudoscience and conspiracy theories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radio wave</span> Type of electromagnetic radiation

Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the lowest frequencies and the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, typically with frequencies below 300 gigahertz (GHz) and wavelengths greater than 1 millimeter, about the diameter of a grain of rice. Like all electromagnetic waves, radio waves in a vacuum travel at the speed of light, and in the Earth's atmosphere at a slightly slower speed. Radio waves are generated by charged particles undergoing acceleration, such as time-varying electric currents. Naturally occurring radio waves are emitted by lightning and astronomical objects, and are part of the blackbody radiation emitted by all warm objects.

Specific absorption rate (SAR) is a measure of the rate at which energy is absorbed per unit mass by a human body when exposed to a radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic field. It is defined as the power absorbed per mass of tissue and has units of watts per kilogram (W/kg).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless device radiation and health</span>

The antennas contained in mobile phones, including smartphones, emit radiofrequency (RF) radiation ; the parts of the head or body nearest to the antenna can absorb this energy and convert it to heat. Since at least the 1990s, scientists have researched whether the now-ubiquitous radiation associated with mobile phone antennas or cell phone towers is affecting human health. Mobile phone networks use various bands of RF radiation, some of which overlap with the microwave range. Other digital wireless systems, such as data communication networks, produce similar radiation.

Bioelectromagnetics, also known as bioelectromagnetism, is the study of the interaction between electromagnetic fields and biological entities. Areas of study include electromagnetic fields produced by living cells, tissues or organisms, the effects of man-made sources of electromagnetic fields like mobile phones, and the application of electromagnetic radiation toward therapies for the treatment of various conditions.

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a claimed sensitivity to electromagnetic fields, to which negative symptoms are attributed. EHS has no scientific basis and is not a recognized medical diagnosis, although it is generally accepted that the experience of EHS symptoms is of psychosomatic origin. Claims are characterized by a "variety of non-specific symptoms, which afflicted individuals attribute to exposure to electromagnetic fields". Attempts to justify the claim that EHS is caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields have amounted to pseudoscience.

Magnetobiology is the study of biological effects of mainly weak static and low-frequency magnetic fields, which do not cause heating of tissues. Magnetobiological effects have unique features that obviously distinguish them from thermal effects; often they are observed for alternating magnetic fields just in separate frequency and amplitude intervals. Also, they are dependent of simultaneously present static magnetic or electric fields and their polarization.

Dielectric wireless receiver is a type of radiofrequency receiver front-end featuring a complete absence of electronic circuitry and metal interconnects. It offers immunity against damage from intense electromagnetic radiation, produced by EMP and HPM sources. This receiver is known as ADNERF. ADNERF is a type of Electro-Magnetic Pulse Tolerant Microwave Receiver (EMPiRe).

Radiofrequency MASINT is one of the six major disciplines generally accepted to make up the field of Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT), with due regard that the MASINT subdisciplines may overlap, and MASINT, in turn, is complementary to more traditional intelligence collection and analysis disciplines such as SIGINT and IMINT. MASINT encompasses intelligence gathering activities that bring together disparate elements that do not fit within the definitions of Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), or Human Intelligence (HUMINT).

Pulsed radiofrequency is the technique whereby radio frequency (RF) oscillations are gated at a rate of pulses (cycles) per second (one cycle per second is known as a hertz (Hz)). Radio frequency energies occupy 1.0×104 Hz to 3.0×1011 Hz of the electromagnetic spectrum. Radio frequency electromagnetic energy is routinely produced by RF electrical circuits connected to a transducer, usually an antenna.

MEDUSA is a directed-energy non-lethal weapon designed by WaveBand Corporation in 2003-2004 for temporary personnel incapacitation. The weapon is based on the microwave auditory effect resulting in a strong sound sensation in the human head when it is subject to certain kinds of pulsed/modulated microwave radiation. The developers claimed that through the combination of pulse parameters and pulse power, it is possible to raise the auditory sensation to a “discomfort” level, deterring personnel from entering a protected perimeter or, if necessary, temporarily incapacitating particular individuals. In 2005, Sierra Nevada Corporation acquired WaveBand Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thermoacoustic imaging</span>

Thermoacoustic imaging was originally proposed by Theodore Bowen in 1981 as a strategy for studying the absorption properties of human tissue using virtually any kind of electromagnetic radiation. But Alexander Graham Bell first reported the physical principle upon which thermoacoustic imaging is based a century earlier. He observed that audible sound could be created by illuminating an intermittent beam of sunlight onto a rubber sheet. Shortly after Bowen's work was published, other researchers proposed methodology for thermoacoustic imaging using microwaves. In 1994 researchers used an infrared laser to produce the first thermoacoustic images of near-infrared optical absorption in a tissue-mimicking phantom, albeit in two dimensions (2D). In 1995 other researchers formulated a general reconstruction algorithm by which 2D thermoacoustic images could be computed from their "projections," i.e. thermoacoustic computed tomography (TCT). By 1998 researchers at Indiana University Medical Center extended TCT to 3D and employed pulsed microwaves to produce the first fully three-dimensional (3D) thermoacoustic images of biologic tissue [an excised lamb kidney ]. The following year they created the first fully 3D thermoacoustic images of cancer in the human breast, again using pulsed microwaves. Since that time, thermoacoustic imaging has gained widespread popularity in research institutions worldwide. As of 2008, three companies were developing commercial thermoacoustic imaging systems – Seno Medical, Endra, Inc. and OptoSonics, Inc.

Microwave burns are burn injuries caused by thermal effects of microwave radiation absorbed in a living organism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-ionizing radiation</span> Harmless low-frequency radiation

Non-ionizingradiation refers to any type of electromagnetic radiation that does not carry enough energy per quantum to ionize atoms or molecules—that is, to completely remove an electron from an atom or molecule. Instead of producing charged ions when passing through matter, non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation has sufficient energy only for excitation. Non-ionizing radiation is not a significant health risk. In contrast, ionizing radiation has a higher frequency and shorter wavelength than non-ionizing radiation, and can be a serious health hazard: exposure to it can cause burns, radiation sickness, many kinds of cancer, and genetic damage. Using ionizing radiation requires elaborate radiological protection measures, which in general are not required with non-ionizing radiation.

An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also referred to as a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. The origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic field, as an electric field, as a magnetic field, or as a conducted electric current. The electromagnetic interference caused by an EMP can disrupt communications and damage electronic equipment. An EMP such as a lightning strike can physically damage objects such as buildings and aircraft. The management of EMP effects is a branch of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) engineering.

Eleanor Reed Adair was an American physiologist who studied the effects of electromagnetic radiation on humans. She is best known for performing the first human studies demonstrating the safety of microwave radiation.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.