J Austral Math Soc Ser B 33 pp1--8, 1991.

On the microwave hotspot problem

C. J. Coleman

Abstract

When an object is heated by microwaves, isolated regions of excessive heating can often occur. The present paper investigates such hotspots by both perturbation and numerical means. For quite normal materials, it is shown that small temperature anomalies can grow to form hotspots. Furthermore, such effects do not need to be associated with thermal runaway.

Browse the article

Author

C. J. Coleman

Department of Mathematics, The University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 1500.

Present address:

Surveillance Research Laboratory, DSTO, PO Box 1650, Salisbury, S.A. 5108.