Progress in the Knowledge, Application and Influence of Extremely Low Frequency Signals.

Featured Application: Carrying out the state-of-the-art study of the different applications of extremely low frequency (ELF) waves has enabled the determination of the importance of these signals in different fields. They are of special interest for the knowledge of natural phenomena, the development of communications, and in various medical applications. The great diversity of existing applications is reflected in the numerous investigations developed over the years. At present, ELF waves are still considered to be a subject of special interest due to their great potential, a fact that has been highlighted in this paper. This paper describes the characteristics of contributions made by researchers worldwide in the field of ELF (extremely low frequency) waves from 1957 to 2019. The data were collected through the Scopus database and processed with analytical and bibliometric techniques. The selection of the keywords is an essential step, because ELF has a very different meaning in some areas of medicine, where it is associated with a gene. A total of 12,436 documents were worked on in 12 thematic communities according to their collaborative relationships between authors and documents. Studies included authors publishing in the different thematic areas and the country where the USA stands first with more researchers in this theme than China and Japan. Documents were analyzed from the temporal perspective, their overall contribution, means of publication, and the language of the publication. Research requires extra effort and multidisciplinary collaboration to improve the knowledge, the application, and influence of these fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]