Comparing finite difference time domain and Monte Carlo modeling of human skin interaction with terahertz radiation

Assessing the biological reaction to electromagnetic (EM) radiation of all frequencies and intensities is essential to the understanding of both the potential damage caused by the radiation and the inherent mechanisms within biology that respond, protect, or propagate damage to surrounding tissues. To understand this reaction, one may model the electromagnetic irradiation of tissue phantoms according to empirically measured or intelligently estimated dielectric properties. Of interest in this study is the terahertz region (0.2-2.0 THz), ranging from millimeter to infrared waves, which has been studied only recently due to lack of efficient sources. The specific interaction between this radiation and human tissue is greatly influenced by the significant EM absorption of water across this range, which induces a pronounced heating of the tissue surface. This study compares the Monte Carlo Multi-Layer (MCML) and Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) approaches for modeling the terahertz irradiation of human dermal tissue. Two congruent simulations were performed on a one-dimensional tissue model with unit power intensity profile. This works aims to verify the use of either technique for modeling terahertz-tissue interaction for minimally scattering tissues.