Using Persistence Spectrum for Realistic Exposure Assessment to Time Varying Radiofrequency Signals

In this article we propose the use of the persistence spectrum to accurately assess the user’s exposure to electromagnetic field emitted by new generation of communication terminals. Persistent display view available within a Real Time Spectrum Analyzer (RTSA) enables a graphical observation of the main statistical parameters of a signal. A simple case study of exposure assessment was conducted by measuring the electric field strength in the close proximity of a mobile phone operated in a LTE-Advanced mobile communication network. The proposed measurement procedure is presented and then applied to a limited number of operating situations (VoIP, Video streaming, File upload, File download). We made use of the persistence spectrum capabilities to directly access the signal strength statistics in time. By this procedure we demonstrate a supplementary facility that enables direct visual tracing of exposure dynamics during real time usage of a specific mobile application.