Simulating the Response of Terahertz Radiation to Cell Membrane by Finite-difference-time-domain Method

Studying the characteristics of cell membrane in terahertz band using finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) method have revealed a significant differences between different hydration degree. These differences are manifested in the reflected pulse due to the changes in refractive index and absorption. And the effect of cell membrane on terahertz wave is mainly reflected in the frequency higher than 30 THz. Subcell FDTD modeling is adopted in this paper to deal with cell membrane as a kind of thin layer in terahertz wave band. Simulating the interaction of terahertz radiation with different hydrated membrane is a key step toward understanding terahertz interactions with cells.