On embedded microwave imaging systems: retrievable information and design guidelines

In several applications, microwave imaging systems are enclosed in a dielectric or metallic casing, which is aimed at hosting a matching fluid and/or enabling a 'removal' of the parasitic interactions with the surrounding environment. In order to understand which are the expected results of an imaging process carried out in such a configuration, in this paper we study the spectral properties of the integral radiation operator relative to an imaging system hosted in a circular metallic cavity. The analysis allows us to explain the role of the several parameters coming into play in the design of such a system, as well as their effect on the imaging procedure.