Efficient Structure Resonance Energy Transfer from Microwaves to Confined Acoustic Vibrations in Viruses

Abstract

Virus is known to resonate in the confined-acoustic dipolar mode with microwave of the same frequency. However this effect was not considered in previous virus-microwave interaction studies and microwave-based virus epidemic prevention. Here we show that this structure-resonant energy transfer effect from microwaves to virus can be efficient enough so that airborne virus was inactivated with reasonable microwave power density safe for the open public. We demonstrate this effect by measuring the residual viral infectivity of influenza A virus after illuminating microwaves with different frequencies and powers. We also established a theoretical model to estimate the microwaves power threshold for virus inactivation and good agreement with experiments was obtained. Such structure-resonant energy transfer induced inactivation is mainly through physically fracturing the virus structure, which was confirmed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. These results provide a pathway toward establishing a new epidemic prevention strategy in open public for airborne virus.

Figure 1

(a) Schematic showing a homogeneous sphere and applied electric field (b) Displacement field distribution of the x-z plane (y = 0) of the sphere, (c) side view of the distortion of the x-y plane at different z location and (d) top view of the displacement field distribution of the equator plane (z = 0) of the sphere when dipolar resonance mode is excited.

Figure 2. Threshold electric field magnitudes of the incident EM waves to fracture a virus as a function of angular frequency with different Q.

Figure 3

(a) Designed CPW circuit for microwave spectrum measured covered with a microfluidic channel. (b) Measured microwave absorption spectrum of H3N2 viruses. (c) Estimated threshold electric field magnitude to fracture the virus as a function of microwave frequency.

Figure 4

(a) Experimental setup for microwave illumination with different frequencies. (b) Inactivation ratio of H3N2 viruses after illuminating microwave with different frequencies.

Figure 5

(a) Experimental setup for the red solid circle in Fig. 5(b). (b) Inactivation ratio for viruses illuminated by microwave with different power densities. The red solid circle was performed with the experimental setup shown in Fig. 5(a) and the black solid squares were performed with the experimental setup shown in Fig. 4(a).

Figure 6

The RNA count for each amplification cycle of (a) H3N2 and (b) H1N1 viruses.