Minimally-invasive tissue ablation using high contrast electric fields

A system comprising:

• a three-dimensional domain having a surface and a radiofrequency electromagnetic field source;
• a perturbing object configured to be implanted within or proximate to a target tissue of a living vertebrate subject;
• the radiofrequency electromagnetic field source including at least two electronically controllable electromagnetic unit cells configured to create quasi-static radiofrequency electromagnetic fields within the three-dimensional domain;
• a selector circuit configured to select a quasi-static electromagnetic field pattern creating a radiofrequency electric field in an electromagnetic cavity defined at least in part by the surface of the three-dimensional domain and an exterior surface of the perturbing object, the radiofrequency electric field including a power density localized to a volume adjoining the exterior surface of the perturbing object;
• and
• a field pattern implementation circuit configured to:
• generate a control signal assigning a respective radiofrequency electromagnetic field characteristic to each of the at least two electronically controllable electromagnetic unit cells;
• and
• transmit the control signal to the at least two electronically controllable electromagnetic unit cells, the respective assigned radiofrequency electromagnetic field characteristics collectively causing the at least two electronically controllable electromagnetic unit cells to create the selected quasi-static electromagnetic field pattern within the electromagnetic cavity.

A method comprising:

• selecting a quasi-static electromagnetic field pattern creating a radiofrequency electric field in a subwavelength electromagnetic cavity, the radiofrequency electric field including a power density localized to a volume adjoining an exterior surface of a perturbing object implanted within or proximate to a target tissue of a living vertebrate subject, the subwavelength electromagnetic cavity defined at least in part by a surface of an electromagnetic structure and the exterior surface of the perturbing object;
• assigning a respective radiofrequency electromagnetic field characteristic to each of at least two electronically controllable, artificially structured electromagnetic unit cells of a radiofrequency electromagnetic field source associated with the surface of the electromagnetic structure, the respective assigned radiofrequency electromagnetic field characteristics collectively creating the selected quasi-static electromagnetic field pattern within the electromagnetic cavity;
• implementing the assigned respective radiofrequency electromagnetic field characteristic in each of the at least two electronically controllable, artificially structured electromagnetic unit cells;
• and
• creating the selected quasi-static electromagnetic field pattern.