Showing papers on "Optical transfer function published in 2007"

System Identification in the Short-Time Fourier Transform Domain With Crossband Filtering

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the influence of crossband filters on a system identifier implemented in the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) domain. We derive analytical relations between the number of crossband filters, which are useful for system identification in the STFT domain, and the power and length of the input signal. We show that increasing the number of crossband filters not necessarily implies a lower steady-state mean-square error (mse) in subbands. The number of useful crossband filters depends on the power ratio between the input signal and the additive noise signal. Furthermore, it depends on the effective length of input signal employed for system identification, which is restricted to enable tracking capability of the algorithm during time variations in the system. As the power of input signal increases or as the time variations in the system become slower, a larger number of crossband filters may be utilized. The proposed subband approach is compared to the conventional fullband approach and to the commonly used subband approach that relies on multiplicative transfer function (MTF) approximation. The comparison is carried out in terms of mse performance and computational complexity. Experimental results verify the theoretical derivations and demonstrate the relations between the number of useful crossband filters and the power and length of the input signal

Blind Deconvolution of Medical Ultrasound Images: A Parametric Inverse Filtering Approach

Abstract: The problem of reconstruction of ultrasound images by means of blind deconvolution has long been recognized as one of the central problems in medical ultrasound imaging. In this paper, this problem is addressed via proposing a blind deconvolution method which is innovative in several ways. In particular, the method is based on parametric inverse filtering, whose parameters are optimized using two-stage processing. At the first stage, some partial information on the point spread function is recovered. Subsequently, this information is used to explicitly constrain the spectral shape of the inverse filter. From this perspective, the proposed methodology can be viewed as a ldquohybridizationrdquo of two standard strategies in blind deconvolution, which are based on either concurrent or successive estimation of the point spread function and the image of interest. Moreover, evidence is provided that the ldquohybridrdquo approach can outperform the standard ones in a number of important practical cases. Additionally, the present study introduces a different approach to parameterizing the inverse filter. Specifically, we propose to model the inverse transfer function as a member of a principal shift-invariant subspace. It is shown that such a parameterization results in considerably more stable reconstructions as compared to standard parameterization methods. Finally, it is shown how the inverse filters designed in this way can be used to deconvolve the images in a nonblind manner so as to further improve their quality. The usefulness and practicability of all the introduced innovations are proven in a series of both in silico and in vivo experiments. Finally, it is shown that the proposed deconvolution algorithms are capable of improving the resolution of ultrasound images by factors of 2.24 or 6.52 (as judged by the autocorrelation criterion) depending on the type of regularization method used.

Imaging system and method for providing extended depth of focus, range extraction and super resolved imaging

Abstract: An imaging system is presented for imaging objects within a field of view of the system. The imaging system comprises an imaging lens arrangement, a light detector unit at a certain distance from the imaging lens arrangement, and a control unit connectable to the output of the detection unit. The imaging lens arrangement comprises an imaging lens and an optical element located in the vicinity of the lens aperture, said optical element introducing aperture coding by an array of regions differently affecting a phase of light incident thereon which are randomly distributed within the lens aperture, thereby generating an axially-dependent randomized phase distribution in the Optical Transfer Function (OTF) of the imaging system resulting in an extended depth of focus of the imaging system. The control unit is configured to decode the sampled output of the detection unit by using the random aperture coding to thereby extract 3D information of the objects in the field of view of the light detector unit.

Automated underwater image restoration and retrieval of related optical properties

Abstract: The presented effort is aimed at establishing a framework in order to restore underwater imagery to the best possible level, working with both simulated and field measured data. Under this framework, the traditional image restoration approach is extended by incorporating underwater optical properties into the system response function, specifically the point spread function (PSF) in spatial domain and modulation transfer function (MTF) in frequency domain. Due to the intensity variations involved in underwater sensing, denoising is carefully carried out by wavelet decompositions. This is necessary to explore different effects of restoration constrains, and especially their response to underwater environment where the effects of scattering can be easily treated as either signal or noise. The images are then restored using measured or modeled PSFs. An objective image quality metric, tuned with environmental optical properties, is designed to gauge the effectiveness of the restoration, and serves to check the optimization approach. This metric utilizes previous wavelet decompositions to constrain the sharpness metric based on grayscale slopes at the edge, weighted by the ratio of the power of high frequency components of the image to the total power of the image. Modeled PSFs, based on Wells' small angle approximations, are compared to those derived from Monte Carlo simulation using measured scattering properties. Initial results are presented, including estimation of water optical properties from the imagery-derived MTFs, and optimization outputs applying automated restoration framework.

A computer simulation platform for the optimization of a breast tomosynthesis system.

Abstract: In breast tomosynthesis there is a compromise between resolution, noise, and acquisition speed for a given glandular dose. The purpose of the present work is to develop a simulation platform to investigate the potential imaging performance for the many possible tomosynthesis system configurations. The simulation platform was used to investigate the dependence of image blur and signal difference to noise ratio (SDNR) for several different tomosynthesis acquisition configurations. Simulated projections of a slanted thin tungsten wire placed in different object planes were modified according to the detector's modulation transfer function (MTF), with or without pixel binning. In addition, the focal spot blur (FSB), which depends on the location of the wire, the system geometry, the source-detector movement speed, and the exposure time, was also incorporated into the projections. Both expectation maximization (EM) and filtered back projection (FBP) based algorithms were used for 3D image reconstruction. The in-plane MTF was calculated from the reconstructed image of the wire. To evaluate the noise performance, simulated noiseless projections of calcification and tumor in uniform breast tissue were modified with the noise power spectrum (NPS) calculated from a cascaded linear system model for the detector for a given x-ray dose. The SDNR of themore » reconstructed images was calculated with different tomosynthesis configurations, e.g., pixel binning, view number, and angular range. Our results showed that for a source-to-imager distance (SID) of 66 cm, pixel binning (2x2) caused more degradation to the in-plane MTF than the blur caused by the moving focal spot and reconstruction. The in-depth resolution can be improved by increasing the angular range.« less

Optical sparse aperture imaging

Abstract: The resolution of a conventional diffraction-limited imaging system is proportional to its pupil diameter. A primary goal of sparse aperture imaging is to enhance resolution while minimizing the total light collection area; the latter being desirable, in part, because of the cost of large, monolithic apertures. Performance metrics are defined and used to evaluate several sparse aperture arrays constructed from multiple, identical, circular subapertures. Subaperture piston and/or tilt effects on image quality are also considered. We selected arrays with compact nonredundant autocorrelations first described by Golay. We vary both the number of subapertures and their relative spacings to arrive at an optimized array. We report the results of an experiment in which we synthesized an image from multiple subaperture pupil fields by masking a large lens with a Golay array. For this experiment we imaged a slant edge feature of an ISO12233 resolution target in order to measure the modulation transfer function. We note the contrast reduction inherent in images formed through sparse aperture arrays and demonstrate the use of a Wiener-Helstrom filter to restore contrast in our experimental images. Finally, we describe a method to synthesize images from multiple subaperture focal plane intensity images using a phase retrieval algorithm to obtain estimates of subaperture pupil fields. Experimental results from synthesizing an image of a point object from multiple subaperture images are presented, and weaknesses of the phase retrieval method for this application are discussed.

High resolution gamma ray tomography scanner for flow measurement and non-destructive testing applications.

Abstract: We report on the development of a high resolution gamma ray tomography scanner that is operated with a Cs-137 isotopic source at 662 keV gamma photon energy and achieves a spatial image resolution of 0.2 line pairs/ mm at 10% modulation transfer function for noncollimated detectors. It is primarily intended for the scientific study of flow regimes and phase fraction distributions in fuel element assemblies, chemical reactors, pipelines, and hydrodynamic machines. Furthermore, it is applicable to nondestructive testing of larger radiologically dense objects. The radiation detector is based on advanced avalanche photodiode technology in conjunction with lutetium yttrium orthosilicate scintillation crystals. The detector arc comprises 320 single detector elements which are operated in pulse counting mode. For measurements at fixed vessels or plant components, we built a computed tomography scanner gantry that comprises rotational and translational stages, power supply via slip rings, and data communication to the measurement personal computer via wireless local area network.

Imaging interferometric microscopy–approaching the linear systems limits of optical resolution

Abstract: The linear systems optical resolution limit is a dense grating pattern at a λ/2 pitch or a critical dimension (resolution) of λ/4. However, conventional microscopy provides a (Rayleigh) resolution of only ~ 0.6λ/NA, approaching λ/1.67 as NA → 1. A synthetic aperture approach to reaching the λ/4 linear-systems limit, extending previous developments in imaging-interferometric microscopy, is presented. Resolution of non-periodic 180-nm features using 633-nm illumination (λ/3.52) and of a 170-nm grating (λ/3.72) is demonstrated. These results are achieved with a 0.4-NA optical system and retain the working distance, field-of-view, and depth-of-field advantages of low-NA systems while approaching ultimate resolution limits.

Novel ultrahigh resolution data acquisition and image reconstruction for multi-detector row CT

Abstract: We present and evaluate a special ultrahigh resolution mode providing considerably enhanced spatial resolution both in the scan plane and in the z-axis direction for a routine medical multi-detector row computed tomography (CT) system. Data acquisition is performed by using a flying focal spot both in the scan plane and in the z-axis direction in combination with tantalum grids that are inserted in front of the multi-row detector to reduce the aperture of the detector elements both in-plane and in the z-axis direction. The dose utilization of the system for standard applications is not affected, since the grids are moved into place only when needed and are removed for standard scanning. By means of this technique, image slices with a nominal section width of 0.4 mm (measured full width at half maximum=0.45 mm) can be reconstructed in spiral mode on a CT system with a detector configuration of 32 x 0.6 mm. The measured 2% value of the in-plane modulation transfer function (MTF) is 20.4 lp/cm, the measured 2% value of the longitudinal (z axis) MTF is 21.5 lp/cm. In a resolution phantom with metal line pair test patterns, spatial resolution of 20 lp/cm can be demonstrated both in the scan plane and along the z axis. This corresponds to an object size of 0.25 mm that can be resolved. The new mode is intended for ultrahigh resolution bone imaging, in particular for wrists, joints, and inner ear studies, where a higher level of image noise due to the reduced aperture is an acceptable trade-off for the clinical benefit brought about by the improved spatial resolution.

Digital Camera Resolution Measurement Using Sinusoidal Siemens Stars

Abstract: The resolution of a digital camera is defined as its ability to reproduce fine detail in an image. To test this ability methods like the Slanted Edge SFR measurement developed by Burns and Williams1 and standardized in ISO 122332 are used. Since this method is - in terms of resolution measurements - only applicable to unsharpened and uncompressed data an additional method described in this paper had to be developed. This method is based on a Sinusoidal Siemens Star which is evaluated on a radius by radius or frequency by frequency basis. For the evaluation a freely available runtime program developed in MATLAB is used which creates the MTF of a camera system as the contrast over the frequency.

Imaging with extended focal depth by means of lenses with radial and angular modulation.

Abstract: The paper presents imaging properties of modified lenses with the radial and the angular modulation. We analyze three following optical elements with moderate numerical apertures: the forward logarithmic axicon and the axilens representing the radial modulation as well as the light sword optical element being a counterpart of the axilens with the angular modulation. The abilities of the elements for imaging with extended depth of focus are discussed in detail with the help of structures of output images and modulation transfer functions corresponding to them. According to the obtained results only the angular modulation of the lens makes possible to maintain the acceptable resolution, contrast and brightness of the output images for a wide range of defocusing. Therefore optical elements with angular modulations and moderate numerical apertures seem to be especially suitable for imaging with extended focal depth.

Different schematic eyes and their accuracy to the in vivo eye: a quantitative comparison study

Abstract: Current ophthalmic technology allows the manipulation of eye components, such as anterior cornea and lens, of the human eye with a considerable precision and customization. This technology opens up the possibility of exploiting some characteristics of the eye in order to improve the methods of correcting optical aberrations. Moreover, product development and research for the eye-care professional has reached very high standards, since there is nowadays software available to design and simulate practically any mechanical or optical characteristic of the product, even before it is thrown into production line. Although quite similar in the general form, different human eye models simulate the image formation by considering different property combinations in the constitutive elements of the eye structure (such as refraction index and surface curvatures), producing retinal images that resemble very closely those of the biological eye. Using optical design software, we have implemented a simulation of 5 well-known schematic eyes available in the literature. These models were the Helmholtz-Laurance, Gullstrand, Emsley, Greivenkamp and Liou & Brennan. The optical performance of these different models was compared using different quantitative optical quality parameters. The model of Liou and Brennan, contains features of the biological eye that were not considered in previous models, as the distribution of a gradient refraction index and a decentered pupil. Furthermore, it has great reliability since it takes into account the mean value of empirical measurements of the in vivo eye in order to define size and parameters such as anterior and posterior curvature of cornea, lens, axial length, etc. Comparisons between the MTF (Modulation Transfer Function), spot diagrams and ray fan showed the difference in image quality between eye models, and the Strehl Ratio was also used as a parameter of comparison. A careful comparison between the different models showed that the first four schematic eyes have better optical quality than what is expected for the general and healthy emmetropic in vivo eye. Liou and Brennan schematic eye is the one that most closely resembles the in vivo biological eye. Therefore, in applications, such as research or product development for customized vision correction, which must consider optical properties intrinsic to the biological eye, we recommend this latter model; for applications that do not require refraction-limited performance, most of the other models should be a good approximation.

Characterization of a parallel-beam CCD optical-CT apparatus for 3D radiation dosimetry

Abstract: 3D measurement of optical attenuation is of interest in a variety of fields of biomedical importance, including spectrophotometry, optical projection tomography (OPT) and analysis of 3D radiation dosimeters. Accurate, precise and economical 3D measurements of optical density (OD) are a crucial step in enabling 3D radiation dosimeters to enter wider use in clinics. Polymer gels and Fricke gels, as well as dosimeters not based around gels, have been characterized for 3D dosimetry over the last two decades. A separate problem is the verification of the best readout method. A number of different imaging modalities (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), optical CT, x-ray CT and ultrasound) have been suggested for the readout of information from 3D dosimeters. To date only MRI and laser-based optical CT have been characterized in detail. This paper describes some initial steps we have taken in establishing charge coupled device (CCD)-based optical CT as a viable alternative to MRI for readout of 3D radiation dosimeters. The main advantage of CCD-based optical CT over traditional laser-based optical CT is a speed increase of at least an order of magnitude, while the simplicity of its architecture would lend itself to cheaper implementation than both MRI and laser-based optical CT if the camera itself were inexpensive enough. Specifically, we study the following aspects of optical metrology, using high quality test targets: (i) calibration and quality of absorbance measurements and the camera requirements for 3D dosimetry; (ii) the modulation transfer function (MTF) of individual projections; (iii) signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the projection and reconstruction domains; (iv) distortion in the projection domain, depth-of-field (DOF) and telecentricity. The principal results for our current apparatus are as follows: (i) SNR of optical absorbance in projections is better than 120:1 for uniform phantoms in absorbance range 0.3 to 1.6 (and better than 200:1 for absorbances 1.0 to 3.5 with the test target and a novel absorbance range extension method), (ii) the spatial resolution is shown to be at worst 0.5 mm (and often better than this) with an associated DOF of 8 cm, (iii) the SNR of uniform phantoms in reconstruction domain is above 80:1 (one standard deviation) over an absorbance dynamic range of 0.3 to 1.6, (iv) the apparatus is telecentric and without distortion. Finally, a sample scan and reconstruction of a scan of a PRESAGE™ dosimeter are shown, demonstrating the capabilities of the apparatus. For more information on this article, see medicalphysicsweb.org

Spatial PSF Nonuniformity Effects in Airborne Pushbroom Imaging Spectrometry Data

Abstract: Efficient and accurate imaging spectroscopy data processing asks for perfectly consistent (i.e., ideally uniform) data in both the spectral and spatial dimensions. However, real pushbroom-type imaging spectrometers are affected by various point spread function (PSF) nonuniformity artifacts. First, individual pixels or lines may be missing in the raw data due to bad pixels originating from the detector, readout errors, or even electronic failures. Second, so-called smile and keystone optical aberrations are inherent to imaging spectrometers. Appropriate resampling strategies are required for the preprocessing of such data if emphasis is put on spatial PSF uniformity. So far, nearest neighbor interpolations have been often recommended and used for resampling. This paper shall analyze the radiometric effects if linear interpolation is used to optimize the spatial PSF uniformity. For modeling interpolation effects, an extensive library of measured surface reflectance spectra as well as real imaging spectroscopy data over various land cover types are used. The real measurements are systematically replaced by interpolated values, and the deviation between original and resampled spectra is taken as a quality measure. The effects of nearest neighbor resampling and linear interpolation methods are compared. It is found that linear interpolation methods lead to average radiometric errors below 2% for the correction of spatial PSF nonuniformity in the subpixel domain, whereas the replacement of missing pixels leads to average errors in the range of 10%-20%

Image pickup apparatus and method and apparatus for manufacturing the same

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an element-including optical system, a detector, and a converter. The element-including optical system has an optical system and an optical wavefront modulation element which modulates an optical transfer function. The detector picks up an object image that passes through the optical system and the optical wavefront modulation element. The converter generates an image signal with a smaller blur than that of a signal of a blurred object image output from the detector by performing a filtering process of the optical transfer function to improve a contrast. A focal position of the element-including optical system is set by moving the element-including optical system to the focal position which is corresponding to a predetermined object distance using a contrast of the object based on the image signal.

Investigation of the point spread function of surface plasmon-coupled emission microscopy.

Abstract: Surface plasmon-coupled emission microscopy (SPCEM) was proposed as a high sensitivity technique that makes use of a thin layer of metal deposited on glass slides to efficiently excite fluorophores and to collect the emission light. However, the theoretical aspect of SPCEM imaging has not been well studied. We propose a model for SPCEM and show, through theoretical analysis and empirical results, that the point spread function of SPCEM is irregular and has an annular-like structure, significantly different from the familiar point spread function of the conventional wide-field microscopy. This result is due to the highly polarized and anisotropic emission caused by the metal layer.

Optimal apodization design for medical ultrasound using constrained least squares part I: theory

Abstract: Aperture weighting functions are critical design parameters in the development of ultrasound systems because beam characteristics affect the contrast and point resolution of the final output image. In previous work by our group, we developed a metric that quantifies a broadband imaging system's contrast resolution performance. We now use this metric to formulate a novel general ultrasound beamformer design method. In our algorithm, we use constrained least squares (CLS) techniques and a linear algebra formulation to describe the system point spread function (PSF) as a function of the aperture weightings. In one approach, we minimize the energy of the PSF outside a certain boundary and impose a linear constraint on the aperture weights. In a second approach, we minimize the energy of the PSF outside a certain boundary while imposing a quadratic constraint on the energy of the PSF inside the boundary. We present detailed analysis for an arbitrary ultrasound imaging system and discuss several possible applications of the CLS techniques, such as designing aperture weightings to maximize contrast resolution and improve the system depth of field

Microlens diffusers for efficient laser speckle generation

Abstract: Laser Speckle is the optical phenomena resulting from the random interference of coherent light. This phenomenon can be utilized to measure the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) of detector arrays. Common devices used for speckle generation, such as integrating spheres and ground glass, suffer from low efficiencies less than 20%. Microlens diffusers are shown to be more efficient alternatives for speckle generation. An analysis of the statistical behavior of microlens diffusers is presented with emphasis on their application to MTF testing of detector arrays in the visible spectrum.

Computer modeling of the spatial resolution properties of a dedicated breast CT system.

Abstract: Computer simulation methods were used to evaluate the spatial resolution properties of a dedicated cone-beam breast CT system. X-ray projection data of a 70 microm nickel-chromium wire were simulated. The modulation transfer function (MTF) was calculated from the reconstructed axial images at different radial positions from the isocenter to study the spatial dependency of the spatial resolution of the breast CT scanner. The MTF was also calculated in both the radial and azimuthal directions. Subcomponents of the cone beam CT system that affect the MTF were modeled in the computer simulation in a serial manner, including the x-ray focal spot distribution, gantry rotation under the condition of continuous fluoroscopy, detector lag, and detector spatial resolution. Comparison between the computer simulated and physically measured MTF values demonstrates reasonable accuracy in the simulation process, with a small systematic difference (approximately 9.5 +/- 6.4% difference, due to unavoidable uncertainties from physical measurement and system calibration). The intrinsic resolution in the radial direction determined by simulation was about 2.0 mm(-1) uniformly through the field of view. The intrinsic resolution in the azimuthal direction degrades from 2.0 mm(-1) at the isocenter to 1.0 mm(-1) at the periphery with 76.9 mm from the isocenter. The results elucidate the intrinsic spatial resolution properties of the prototype breast CT system, and suggest ways in which spatial resolution can be improved with system modification.

Imagery-derived modulation transfer function and its applications for underwater imaging

Abstract: The main challenge working with underwater imagery results from both rapid decay of signals due to absorption, which leads to poor signal to noise returns, and the blurring caused by strong scattering by the water itself and constituents within, especially particulates. The modulation transfer function (MTF) of an optical system gives the detailed and precise information regarding the system behavior. Underwater imageries can be better restored with the knowledge of the system MTF or the point spread function (PSF), the Fourier transformed equivalent, extending the performance range as well as the information retrieval from underwater electro-optical system. This is critical in many civilian and military applications, including target and especially mine detection, search and rescue, and diver visibility. This effort utilizes test imageries obtained by the Laser Underwater Camera Imaging Enhancer (LUCIE) from Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC), during an April-May 2006 trial experiment in Panama City, Florida. Imaging of a standard resolution chart with various spatial frequencies were taken underwater in a controlled optical environment, at varying distances. In-water optical properties during the experiment were measured, which included the absorption and attenuation coefficients, particle size distribution, and volume scattering function. Resulting images were preprocessed to enhance signal to noise ratio by averaging multiple frames, and to remove uneven illumination at target plane. The MTF of the medium was then derived from measurement of above imageries, subtracting the effect of the camera system. PSFs converted from the measured MTF were then used to restore the blurred imageries by different deconvolution methods. The effects of polarization from source to receiver on resulting MTFs were examined and we demonstrate that matching polarizations do enhance system transfer functions. This approach also shows promise in deriving medium optical properties including absorption and attenuation.

Point spread function characteristics analysis of the wavefront coding system.

Abstract: Most of the previous imaging characteristics analysis of the wavefront coding system has been carried out within the frequency domain. In this paper, the stationary phase method is employed to perform the analysis within the spatial domain. The approximate expression of point spread function (PSF) in the presence of defocus aberration is derived for the system with a cubic phase mask, which shows a good agreement with the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) approach. Based on this, the PSF characteristics are analyzed in terms of the boundaries, oscillations and sensitivities to defocus, astigmatism and coma.

Imaging system with improved image quality and associated methods

Abstract: An imaging system includes an optical system for projecting an object onto a detector, and a phase element between an entrance pupil of the optical system and the detector, the phase element adapted to provide a more uniform modulation transfer function over a range of focus than the optical system alone, wherein an effective focal length of light output from the phase element is a function of an angular component on which the light is incident on the phase element.

Blind Blur Assessment for Vision-Based Applications

Abstract: This paper proposes a method for assessing blur caused by defocus from one image. The essential idea is to estimate the point spread function (PSF) from the line spread function (LSF), whereas the LSF is constructed from edge information. The procedure includes edge detection and localization, pixel interpolation, LSF determination and PSF extraction. This approach is independent of image contents, and the algorithm has fast speed as it works in spatial domain without complex Fourier transform or iterative computation. The experimental results validate the proposed method. It can be used for blind image quality evaluation in vision-based applications.

On the complex three‐dimensional amplitude point spread function of lenses and microscope objectives: theoretical aspects, simulations and measurements by digital holography

Abstract: The point spread function is widely used to characterize the three-dimensional imaging capabilities of an optical system Usually, attention is paid only to the intensity point spread function, whereas the phase point spread function is most often neglected because the phase information is not retrieved in noninterferometric imaging systems However, phase point spread functions are needed to evaluate phase-sensitive imaging systems and we believe that phase data can play an essential role in the full aberrations' characterization In this paper, standard diffraction models have been used for the computation of the complex amplitude point spread function In particular, the Debye vectorial model has been used to compute the amplitude point spread function of ×63/085 and ×100/13 microscope objectives, exemplifying the phase point spread function specific for each polarization component of the electromagnetic field The effect of aberrations on the phase point spread function is then analyzed for a microscope objective used under nondesigned conditions, by developing the Gibson model (Gibson & Lanni, 1991), modified to compute the three-dimensional amplitude point spread function in amplitude and phase The results have revealed a novel anomalous phase behaviour in the presence of spherical aberration, providing access to the quantification of the aberrations This work mainly proposes a method to measure the complex three-dimensional amplitude point spread function of an optical imaging system The approach consists in measuring and interpreting the amplitude point spread function by evaluating in amplitude and phase the image of a single emitting point, a 60-nm-diameter tip of a Near Field Scanning Optical Microscopy fibre, with an original digital holographic experimental setup A single hologram gives access to the transverse amplitude point spread function The three-dimensional amplitude point spread function is obtained by performing an axial scan of the Near Field Scanning Optical Microscopy fibre The phase measurements accuracy is equivalent to λ/60 when the measurement is performed in air The method capability is demonstrated on an Achroplan ×20 microscope objective with 04 numerical aperture A more complete study on a ×100 microscope objective with 13 numerical aperture is also presented, in which measurements performed with our setup are compared with the prediction of an analytical aberrations model

Wave optical analysis of integral method for three-dimensional images

Abstract: We analyze by wave optics an integral method that produces three-dimensional (3D) images. The point light source is given at the pickup stage, and the light wave passing through each elemental lens is obtained at the display stage. The amplitude distributions of the waves from each elemental image are the same around a specific point where a 3D image is formed. Since the light waves approaching the image plane from different elemental lenses are incoherent, the synthesized value is the sum of the squared amplitudes of the waves. Therefore the modulation transfer function of this integral method is given by that of a single elemental lens.

An improved led device for wide beam generation

Abstract: An apparatus and method is characterized by providing an optical transfer function between a predetermined illuminated surface pattern, such as a street light pattern, and a predetermined energy distribution pattern of a light source, such as that from an LED. A lens is formed having a shape defined by the optical transfer function. The optical transfer function is derived by generating an energy distribution pattern using the predetermined energy distribution pattern of the light source. Then the projection of the energy distribution pattern onto the illuminated surface is generated. The projection is then compared to the predetermined illuminated surface pattern to determine if it acceptably matches. The process continues reiteratively until an acceptable match is achieved. Alternatively, the lens shape is numerically or analytically determined by a functional relationship between the shape and the predetermined illuminated surface pattern and predetermined energy distribution pattern of a light source as inputs.

Ultrasound-modulated optical tomography with intense acoustic bursts

Abstract: Ultrasound-modulated optical tomography (UOT) detects ultrasonically modulated light to spatially localize multiply scattered photons in turbid media with the ultimate goal of imaging the optical properties in living subjects. A principal challenge of the technique is weak modulated signal strength. We discuss ways to push the limits of signal enhancement with intense acoustic bursts while conforming to optical and ultrasonic safety standards. A CCD-based speckle-contrast detection scheme is used to detect acoustically modulated light by measuring changes in speckle statistics between ultrasound-on and ultrasound-off states. The CCD image capture is synchronized with the ultrasound burst pulse sequence. Transient acoustic radiation force, a consequence of bursts, is seen to produce slight signal enhancement over pure ultrasonic-modulation mechanisms for bursts and CCD exposure times of the order of milliseconds. However, acoustic radiation-force-induced shear waves are launched away from the acoustic sample volume, which degrade UOT spatial resolution. By time gating the CCD camera to capture modulated light before radiation force has an opportunity to accumulate significant tissue displacement, we reduce the effects of shear-wave image degradation, while enabling very high signal-to-noise ratios. Additionally, we maintain high-resolution images representative of optical and not mechanical contrast. Signal-to-noise levels are sufficiently high so as to enable acquisition of 2D images of phantoms with one acoustic burst per pixel.

Improvement of spatial resolution in the longitudinal direction for isotropic imaging in helical CT.

Abstract: Experiments were conducted to confirm the isotropic spatial resolution of multislice CT with a 0.5 mm slice thickness. Isotropic spatial resolution means that the spatial resolution in the transaxial plane (X-Y plane) and that in the longitudinal direction (Z direction) are equivalent. To obtain point spread function (PSF) values in the X-Y-Z directions, three-dimensional voxel data were obtained by helical scanning of a bead phantom. The modulation transfer function (MTF) values were then obtained by three-dimensional Fourier transform of the PSF. Evaluation of the spatial resolution in the X-Y-Z directions by the MTF values showed that the spatial resolution in the Z direction does not depend on the reconstruction kernel used. It was also found that the spatial resolution in the Z direction, as compared with that in the X-Y plane, is superior with the standard kernel for the abdomen and is inferior with the high-definition kernel for the ears/bones. By performing sharpening filter processing in the Z direction with a high-definition kernel, comparable spatial resolution could be obtained in the X-Y-Z directions. It was confirmed that adjusting the spatial resolution in the Z direction with the reconstruction kernel used is an effective method for isotropic imaging.

Binary pseudo-random grating as a standard test surface for measurement of modulation transfer function of interferometric microscopes

Abstract: The task of designing high performance X-ray optical systems requires the development of sophisticated X-ray scattering calculations based on rigorous information about the optics. One of the most insightful approaches to these calculations is based on the power spectral density (PSD) distribution of the surface height. The major problem of measurement of a PSD distribution with an interferometric and/or atomic force microscope arises due to the unknown Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) of the instruments. The MTF characterizes the perturbation of the PSD distribution at higher spatial frequencies. Here, we describe a new method and dedicated test surfaces for calibration of the MTF of a microscope. The method is based on use of a specially designed Binary Pseudo-random (BPR) grating. Comparison of a theoretically calculated PSD spectrum of a BPR grating with a spectrum measured with the grating provides the desired calibration of the instrumental MTF. The theoretical background of the method, as well as results of experimental investigations are presented.