Showing papers on "Point spread function published in 2008"

Spherical nanosized focal spot unravels the interior of cells

Abstract: The resolution of any linear imaging system is given by its point spread function (PSF) that quantifies the blur of an object point in the image. The sharper the PSF, the better the resolution is. In standard fluorescence microscopy, however, diffraction dictates a PSF with a cigar-shaped main maximum, called the focal spot, which extends over at least half the wavelength of light (lambda = 400-700 nm) in the focal plane and >lambda along the optical axis (z). Although concepts have been developed to sharpen the focal spot both laterally and axially, none of them has reached their ultimate goal: a spherical spot that can be arbitrarily downscaled in size. Here we introduce a fluorescence microscope that creates nearly spherical focal spots of 40-45 nm (lambda/16) in diameter. Fully relying on focused light, this lens-based fluorescence nanoscope unravels the interior of cells noninvasively, uniquely dissecting their sub-lambda-sized organelles.

Refocusing Through Building Walls Using Synthetic Aperture Radar

Abstract: Through-wall imaging/sensing using a synthetic aperture array technique is studied by employing ultrawideband antennas and for wide incidence angles. The propagation through building walls, such as brick and poured concrete in response to point sources near the walls, is simulated by using high-frequency methods. Reciprocity is used to find the responses of point targets behind walls, which are then used to simulate the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging through the walls. The effect of building walls on the target-image distortions is investigated by simulations and measurements. It is shown that by using the idea of match filtering, the effect of the wall can be compensated for, and the point target response can be reconstructed, provided that the wall parameters are known. An optimization method based on minimization of squared error in the SAR image domain within an area confined within the expected point-spread function is used to estimate the wall parameters and sharpen the image simultaneously. A controlled experiment within the laboratory environment is performed to verify the methods presented. It is shown that for an ultrawideband system operating over a frequency band of 1-3 GHz, highly distorted images of two point targets in close proximity of each other behind a wall can be resolved after refocusing. A dual-frequency synthetic method is also presented that can improve the cross-range resolution of the refocused image.

Three dimensional tracking of fluorescent microparticles using a photon-limited double-helix response system

Abstract: We demonstrate three-dimensional tracking of fluorescent microparticles, with a computational optical system whose point spread function (PSF) has been engineered to have two twisting lobes along the optical axis, generating a three-dimensional (3D) double-helix (DH) PSF. An information theoretical comparison in photon limited systems shows that the DH-PSF delivers higher Fisher information for 3D localization than the standard PSF. Hence, DH-PSF systems provide better position estimation accuracy. Experiments demonstrate average position estimation accuracies under 14nm and 37nm in the transverse and axial dimensions respectively. The system determines the 3D position of multiple particles with a single image and tracks them over time while providing their velocities.

The wavenumber algorithm for full-matrix imaging using an ultrasonic array

Abstract: Ultrasonic imaging using full-matrix capture, e.g., via the total focusing method (TFM), has been shown to increase angular inspection coverage and improve sensitivity to small defects in nondestructive evaluation. In this paper, we develop a Fourier-domain approach to full-matrix imaging based on the wavenumber algorithm used in synthetic aperture radar and sonar. The extension to the wavenumber algorithm for full-matrix data is described and the performance of the new algorithm compared with the TFM, which we use as a representative benchmark for the time-domain algorithms. The wavenumber algorithm provides a mathematically rigorous solution to the inverse problem for the assumed forward wave propagation model, whereas the TFM employs heuristic delay-and-sum beamforming. Consequently, the wavenumber algorithm has an improved point-spread function and provides better imagery. However, the major advantage of the wavenumber algorithm is its superior computational performance. For large arrays and images, the wavenumber algorithm is several orders of magnitude faster than the TFM. On the other hand, the key advantage of the TFM is its flexibility. The wavenumber algorithm requires a regularly sampled linear array, while the TFM can handle arbitrary imaging geometries. The TFM and the wavenumber algorithm are compared using simulated and experimental data.

High-efficiency rotating point spread functions.

Abstract: Rotating point spread functions (PSFs) present invariant features that continuously rotate with defocus and are important in diverse applications such as computational imaging and atom/particle trapping. However, their transfer function efficiency is typically very low. We generate highly efficient rotating PSFs by tailoring the range of invariant rotation to the specific application. The PSF design involves an optimization procedure that applies constraints in the Gauss-Laguerre modal plane, the spatial domain, and the Fourier domain. We observed over thirty times improvement in transfer function efficiency. Experiments with a phase-only spatial light modulator demonstrate the potential of high-efficiency rotating PSFs.

Correcting direction-dependent gains in the deconvolution of radio interferometric images

Abstract: Astronomical imaging using aperture synthesis telescopes requires deconvolution of the point spread function as well as calibration of instrumental and atmospheric effects. In general, such effects are time-variable and vary across the field of view as well, resulting in direction-dependent (DD), time-varying gains. Most existing imaging and calibration algorithms assume that the corruptions are direction independent, preventing even moderate dynamic range full-beam, full-Stokes imaging. We present a general framework for imaging algorithms which incorporate DD errors. We describe as well an iterative deconvolution algorithm that corrects known DD errors due to the antenna power patterns (including errors due to the antenna polarization response) as well as pointing errors for high dynamic range full-beam polarimetric imaging. Using simulations we demonstrate that errors due to realistic primary beams as well as antenna pointing errors will limit the dynamic range of upcoming higher sensitivity instruments like the EVLA and ALMA and that our new algorithm can be used to correct for such errors. We show that the technique described here corrects for effects that can be described as approximate unitary operators in the interferometric measurement equation, such as those due to antenna pointing errors and non-azimuthally symmetric antenna power patterns. We have applied this algorithm to VLA 1.4 GHz observations of a field that contains two “4C” sources and have obtained Stokes I and V images with systematic errors that are one order of magnitude lower than those obtained with conventional imaging tools. Residual systematic errors that are seen at a level slightly above that of the thermal noise are likely due to selfcalibration instabilities that are triggered by a combination of unknown pointing errors and errors in our assumption of the shape of the primary beam of each antenna. We hope to present a more refined algorithm to deal with the fully general case in due course. Our simulations show that on data with no other calibration errors, the algorithm corrects pointing errors as well as errors due to known asymmetries in the antenna pattern.

Model-Based 2.5-D Deconvolution for Extended Depth of Field in Brightfield Microscopy

Abstract: Due to the limited depth of field of brightfield microscopes, it is usually impossible to image thick specimens entirely in focus. By optically sectioning the specimen, the in-focus information at the specimen's surface can be acquired over a range of images. Commonly based on a high-pass criterion, extended-depth-of-field methods aim at combining the in-focus information from these images into a single image of the texture on the specimen's surface. The topography provided by such methods is usually limited to a map of selected in-focus pixel positions and is inherently discretized along the axial direction, which limits its use for quantitative evaluation. In this paper, we propose a method that jointly estimates the texture and topography of a specimen from a series of brightfield optical sections; it is based on an image formation model that is described by the convolution of a thick specimen model with the microscope's point spread function. The problem is stated as a least-squares minimization where the texture and topography are updated alternately. This method also acts as a deconvolution when the in-focus PSF has a blurring effect, or when the true in-focus position falls in between two optical sections. Comparisons to state-of-the-art algorithms and experimental results demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach.

Simple and robust image-based autofocusing for digital microscopy

Abstract: A simple image-based autofocusing scheme for digital microscopy is demonstrated that uses as few as two intermediate images to bring the sample into focus. The algorithm is adapted to a commercial inverted microscope and used to automate brightfield and fluorescence imaging of histopathology tissue sections.

Image artifacts in digital breast tomosynthesis: Investigation of the effects of system geometry and reconstruction parameters using a linear system approach

Abstract: Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is a three-dimensional (3D) x-ray imaging modality that reconstructs image slices parallel to the detector plane. Image acquisition is performed using a limited angular range (less than 50 degrees) and a limited number of projection views (less than 50 views). Due to incomplete data sampling, image artifacts are unavoidable in DBT. In this preliminary study, the image artifacts in DBT were investigated systematically using a linear system approximation. A cascaded linear system model of DBT was developed to calculate the 3D presampling modulation transfer function (MTF) with different image acquisition geometries and reconstruction filters using a filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithm. A thin, slanted tungsten (W) wire was used to measure the presampling MTF of the DBT system in the cross-sectional plane defined by the thickness (z-) and tube travel (x-) directions. The measurement was in excellent agreement with the calculation using the model. A small steel bead was used to calculate the artifact spread function (ASF) of the DBT system. The ASF was correlated with the convolution of the two-dimensional (2D) point spread function (PSF) of the system and the object function of the bead. The results showed that the cascaded linear system model can be used to predict the magnitude of image artifacts of small, high-contrast objects with different image acquisition geometry and reconstruction filters.

Confidence level and sensitivity limits in high-contrast imaging

Abstract: In long adaptive optics corrected exposures, exoplanet detections are currently limited by speckle noise originating from the telescope and instrument optics, and it is expected that such noise will also limit future high-contrast imaging instruments for both ground and space-based telescopes. Previous theoretical analysis have shown that the time intensity variations of a single speckle follows a modified Rician. It is first demonstrated here that for a circular pupil this temporal intensity distribution also represents the speckle spatial intensity distribution at a fix separation from the point spread function center; this fact is demonstrated using numerical simulations for coronagraphic and non-coronagraphic data. The real statistical distribution of the noise needs to be taken into account explicitly when selecting a detection threshold appropriate for some desired confidence level. In this paper, a technique is described to obtain the pixel intensity distribution of an image and its corresponding confidence level as a function of the detection threshold. Using numerical simulations, it is shown that in the presence of speckles noise, a detection threshold up to three times higher is required to obtain a confidence level equivalent to that at 5{sigma} for Gaussian noise. The technique is then tested using TRIDENT CFHT andmore » angular differential imaging NIRI Gemini adaptive optics data. It is found that the angular differential imaging technique produces quasi-Gaussian residuals, a remarkable result compared to classical adaptive optic imaging. A power-law is finally derived to predict the 1-3 x 10{sup -7} confidence level detection threshold when averaging a partially correlated non-Gaussian noise.« less

Point spread function calibration requirements for dark energy from cosmic shear

Abstract: Context. The control of systematic effects when measuring background galaxy shapes is one of the main challenges for cosmic shear analyses. Aims. Study the fundamental limitations on shear accuracy due to the measurement of the point spread function (PSF) from the finite number of stars that are available. We translate the accuracy required for cosmological parameter estimation to the minimum number of stars over which the PSF must be calibrated. Methods. We characterise the error made in the shear arising from errors on the PSF. We consider different PSF models, from a simple elliptical Gaussian to various shapelet parametrisations. First we derive our results analytically in the case of infinitely small pixels (i.e. infinitely high resolution), then image simulations are used to validate these results and investigate the effect of finite pixel size in the case of the elliptical Gaussian PSF. Results. Our results are expressed in terms of the minimum number of stars required to calibrate the PSF in order to ensure that systematic errors are smaller than statistical errors when estimating the cosmological parameters. On scales smaller than the area containing this minimum number of stars, there is not enough information to model the PSF. This means that these small scales should not be used to constrain cosmology unless the instrument and the observing strategy are optimised to make this variability extremely small. The minimum number of stars varies with the square of the star Signal-to-Noise Ratio, with the complexity of the PSF and with the pixel size. In the case of an elliptical Gaussian PSF and in the absence of dithering, 2 pixels per PSF full width at half maximum (FWHM) implies a 20% increase of the minimum number of stars compared to the ideal case of infinitely small pixels; 0.9 pixels per PSF FWHM implies a factor 100 increase. Conclusions. In the case of a good resolution and a typical Signal-to-Noise Ratio distribution of stars, we find that current surveys need the PSF to be calibrated over a few stars, which may explain residual systematics on scales smaller than a few arcmins. Future all-sky cosmic shear surveys require the PSF to be calibrated over a region containing about 50 stars. Due to the simplicity of our models these results should be interpreted as optimistic and therefore provide a measure of a systematic “floor’ intrinsic to shape measurements.

Point spread functions for the Solar optical telescope onboard Hinode

Abstract: Aims. We investigate the combined point spread function (PSF) of the Broadband Filter Imager (BFI) and the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) onboard the Hinode spacecraft. Methods. Observations of the Mercury transit from November 2006 and the solar eclipse(s) from 2007 are used to determine the PSFs of SOT for the blue, green, and red continuum channels of the BFI. For each channel, we calculate large grids of theoretical point spread functions by convolution of the ideal diffraction-limited PSF and Voigt profiles. These PSFs are applied to artificial images of an eclipse and a Mercury transit. The comparison of the resulting artificial intensity profiles across the terminator and the corresponding observed profiles yields a quality measure for each case. The optimum PSF for each observed image is indicated by the best fit. Results. The observed images of the Mercury transit and the eclipses exhibit a clear proportional relation between the residual intensity and the overall light level in the telescope. In addition, there is an anisotropic stray-light contribution. These two factors make it very difficult to pin down a single unique PSF that can account for all observational conditions. Nevertheless, the range of possible PSF models can be limited by using additional constraints like the pre-flight measurements of the Strehl ratio. Conclusions. The BFI/SOT operate close to the diffraction limit and have only a rather small stray-light contribution. The FWHM of the PSF is broadened by only ~1% with respect to the diffraction-limited case, while the overall Strehl ratio is ~0.8. In view of the large variations – best seen in the residual intensities of eclipse images – and the dependence on the overall light level and position in the FOV, a range of PSFs should be considered instead of a single PSF per wavelength. The individual PSFs of that range allow then the determination of error margins for the quantity under investigation. Nevertheless, the stray-light contributions are found to be best matched with Voigt functions with the parameters σ = 0 008 and γ = 0 004, 0 005, and 0 006 for the blue, green, and red continuum channels, respectively.

Reducing boundary artifacts in image deconvolution

Abstract: In image deconvolution, the boundary value problem, if not appropriately handled, often causes serious ringing artifacts in the restored results. This paper proposes a simple method to tackle this problem without any assumption on the noise level and the symmetry of the Point Spread Function (PSF). We establish new boundary conditions by smoothly expanding the input image to a large tile. It helps reducing the boundary discontinuities and accordingly makes all restoration filters based on Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) not produce obvious image border artifacts.

Restoring the Suzaku Source Position Accuracy and Point-Spread Function

Abstract: We present an empirical correction of sky coordinates of X-ray photons obtained with the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) aboard the Suzaku satellite to improve the source position accuracy and restore the point-spread function (PSF). The XIS images are known to have an uncertainty in position of up to 1 0 , and to show considerable degradations of the PSF. These problems are caused by a drifting of the satellite attitude due to thermal distortion of the side panel #7, where the attitude control system is mounted. We found that the position error averaged over a pointing observation can be largely reduced by using the relation between the deviation of the source position in the DETX direction and the ecliptic latitude of the pointing target. We parameterized the wobbling of the source position synchronized with the 96-minute satellite orbital period with temperatures of onboard radiators and elapsed time since the night–day transition of the spacecraft. We developed software, aeattcor, to correct the image drift using these parameters, and applied it to 27 point-source images taken in the Suzaku initial science-operation phase. We show that the radius of the 90% error circle of the source position was reduced to 19 00 and the PSF was sharpened. These improvements have enhanced the scientific capability of the Suzaku XIS.

Focal modulation microscopy

Abstract: We report a novel light microscopy method for high resolution molecular imaging of thick biological tissues with one photon excited fluorescence. Effective optical sectioning and diffraction limited spatial resolution are achieved when imaging deep inside a multiple-scattering medium by the use of focal modulation, a technique for suppressing the background fluorescence signal excited by scattered light. Our method has been validated with animal tissue and an imaging depth around 600 microns has been demonstrated.

Comparison and Validation of Point Spread Models for Imaging in Natural Waters

Abstract: It is known that scattering by particulates within natural waters is the main cause of the blur in underwater images. Underwater images can be better restored or enhanced with knowledge of the point spread function (PSF) of the water. This will extend the performance range as well as the information retrieval from underwater electro-optical systems, which is critical in many civilian and military applications, including target and especially mine detection, search and rescue, and diver visibility. A better understanding of the physical process involved also helps to predict system performance and simulate it accurately on demand. The presented effort first reviews several PSF models, including the introduction of a semi-analytical PSF given optical properties of the medium, including scattering albedo, mean scattering angles and the optical range. The models under comparison include the empirical model of Duntley, a modified PSF model by Dolin et al, as well as the numerical integration of analytical forms from Wells, as a benchmark of theoretical results. For experimental results, in addition to that of Duntley, we validate the above models with measured point spread functions by applying field measured scattering properties with Monte Carlo simulations. Results from these comparisons suggest it is sufficient but necessary to have the three parameters listed above to model PSFs. The simplified approach introduced also provides adequate accuracy and flexibility for imaging applications, as shown by examples of restored underwater images.

High-contrast single-particle tracking by selective focal plane illumination microscopy

Abstract: Wide-field single molecule microscopy is a versatile tool for analyzing dynamics and molecular interactions in biological systems. In extended three-dimensional systems, however, the method suffers from intrinsic out-of-focus fluorescence. We constructed a high-resolution selective plane illumination microscope (SPIM) to efficiently solve this problem. The instrument is an optical sectioning microscope featuring the high speed and high sensitivity of a video microscope. We present theoretical calculations and quantitative measurements of the illumination light sheet thickness yielding 1.7 µm (FWHM) at 543 nm, 2.0 µm at 633 nm, and a FWHM of the axial point spread function of 1.13 µm. A direct comparison of selective plane and epi-illumination of model samples with intrinsic background fluorescence illustrated the clear advantage of SPIM for such samples. Single fluorescent quantum dots in aqueous solution are readily visualized and tracked proving the suitability of our setup for the study of fast and dynamic processes in spatially extended biological specimens.

High numerical aperture vectorial imaging in coherent optical microscopes.

Abstract: Imaging systems are typically partitioned into three components: focusing of incident light, scattering of incident light by an object and imaging of scattered light. We present a model of high Numerical Aperture (NA) imaging systems which differs from prior models as it treats each of the three components of the imaging system rigorously. It is well known that when high NA lenses are used the imaging system must be treated with vectorial analysis. This in turn requires that the scattering of light by the object be calculated rigorously according to Maxwell’s equations. Maxwell’s equations are solvable analytically for only a small class of scattering objects necessitating the use of rigorous numerical methods for the general case. Finally, rigorous vectorial diffraction theory and focusing theory are combined to calculate the image of the scattered light. We demonstrate the usefulness of the model through examples.

Synthetic aperture tomographic phase microscopy for 3D imaging of live cells in translational motion.

Abstract: We present a technique for 3D imaging of live cells in translational motion without need of axial scanning of objective lens. A set of transmitted electric field images of cells at successive points of transverse translation is taken with a focused beam illumination. Based on Hyugens’ principle, angular plane waves are synthesized from E-field images of a focused beam. For a set of synthesized angular plane waves, we apply a filtered back-projection algorithm and obtain 3D maps of refractive index of live cells. This technique, which we refer to as synthetic aperture tomographic phase microscopy, can potentially be combined with flow cytometry or microfluidic devices, and will enable high throughput acquisition of quantitative refractive index data from large numbers of cells.

Two-dimensional blind Bayesian deconvolution of medical ultrasound images

Abstract: A new approach to 2-D blind deconvolution of ultrasonic images in a Bayesian framework is presented. The radio-frequency image data are modeled as a convolution of the point-spread function and the tissue function, with additive white noise. The deconvolution algorithm is derived from statistical assumptions about the tissue function, the point-spread function, and the noise. It is solved as an iterative optimization problem. In each iteration, additional constraints are applied as a projection operator to further stabilize the process. The proposed method is an extension of the homomorphic deconvolution, which is used here only to compute the initial estimate of the point-spread function. Homomorphic deconvolution is based on the assumption that the point-spread function and the tissue function lie in different bands of the cepstrum domain, which is not completely true. This limiting constraint is relaxed in the subsequent iterative deconvolution. The deconvolution is applied globally to the complete radiofrequency image data. Thus, only the global part of the point-spread function is considered. This approach, together with the need for only a few iterations, makes the deconvolution potentially useful for real-time applications. Tests on phantom and clinical images have shown that the deconvolution gives stable results of clearly higher spatial resolution and better defined tissue structures than in the input images and than the results of the homomorphic deconvolution alone.

Assessment of optical systems by means of point-spread functions

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter presents the computation of the point-spread function of optical imaging systems and the characterization of these systems by means of the measured three-dimensional structure of the point-spread function. The point-spread function, accessible in the optical domain only in terms of the energy density or the energy flow, is a nonlinear function of the basic electromagnetic field components in the focal region. That is why the reconstruction of the amplitude and phase of the optical far-field distribution that produced a particular intensity point-spread function is a nonlinear procedure that does not necessarily have a unique solution. Since the 1970s, the quality of optical imaging systems (telescopes, microscope objectives, high-quality projection lenses for optical lithography, space observation cameras) has been pushed to the extreme limits. At this level of perfection, a detailed analysis of the optical point-spread function is necessary to understand the image formation by these instruments, especially when they operate at high numerical aperture. In terms of imaging defects, it allowed to suppose that the wavefront aberration of such instruments is not substantially larger than the wavelength λ of the light. In most cases, the aberration even has to be reduced to a minute fraction of the wavelength of the light to satisfy the extreme specifications of these imaging systems. The past work on point-spread function analysis and its application to the assessment of imaging systems is presented in the chapter. This includes discussions on: the theory of point-spread function formation, energy density and power flow in the focal region, quality assessment by inverse problem solution, and quality assessment using the extended Nijboer–Zernike diffraction theory.

Localization of a fluorescent source without numerical fitting.

Abstract: We present an algebraic solution to the problem of localizing a single fluorescent particle with sub-diffraction-limit accuracy. The algorithm is derived and its performance studied experimentally. Isolated 20 nm fluorescent beads were imaged using a wide-field microscope at two different positions separated by 100 nm and at a range of signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). The data were analyzed using both the new algorithm and the standard approach of fitting the data to a Gaussian profile. Results indicate that the proposed approach is nearly as accurate as Gaussian fitting across a wide range of SNR while executing over 200 times faster. In addition, the new algorithm is able to localize at lower SNR than the fitting method.

Restoring the Suzaku Source Position Accuracy and Point-Spread Function

Abstract: We present an empirical correction of sky coordinates of X-ray photons obtained with the XIS aboard the Suzaku satellite to improve the source position accuracy and restore the point-spread function (PSF). The XIS images are known to have an uncertainty in position of up to 1 arcmin, and to show considerable degradations of the PSF. These problems are caused by a drifting of the satellite attitude due to thermal distortion of the side panel 7, where the attitude control system is mounted. We found that the position error averaged over a pointing observation can be largely reduced by using the relation between the deviation of the source position in the DETX direction and the ecliptic latitude of the pointing target. We parameterized the wobbling of the source position synchronized with the satellite orbital period with temperatures of onboard radiators and elapsed time since the night-day transition of the spacecraft. We developed software, aeattcor, to correct the image drift using these parameters, and applied it to 27 point-source images. We show that the radius of the 90% error circle of the source position was reduced to 19 arcsec and the PSF was sharpened. These improvements have enhanced the scientific capability of the Suzaku XIS.

Real-time extended depth of field microscopy.

Abstract: We describe an optical microscope system whose focal setting can be changed quickly without moving the objective lens or specimen. Using this system, diffraction limited images can be acquired from a wide range of focal settings without introducing optical aberrations that degrade image quality. We combine this system with a real time Nipkow disc based confocal microscope so as to permit the acquisition of extended depth of field images directly in a single frame of the CCD camera. We also demonstrate a simple modification that enables extended depth of field images to be acquired from different angles of perspective, where the angle can be changed over a continuous range by the user in real-time.

Measurement of the point-spread function of a noisy imaging system

Abstract: The averaged point-spread function (PSF) estimation of an image acquisition system is important for many computer vision applications, including edge detection and depth from defocus. The paper compares several mathematical models of the PSF and presents an improved measurement technique that enables subpixel estimation of 2D functions. New methods for noise suppression and uneven illumination modeling were incorporated. The PSF was computed from an ensemble of edge-spread function measurements. The generalized Gaussian was shown to be an 8 times better fit to the estimated PSF than the Gaussian and a 14 times better fit than the pillbox model.

Motion Detection System and Method

Abstract: A method is presented for imaging an object The method comprises imaging a coherent speckle pattern propagating from an object, using an imaging system being focused on a plane displaced from the object

Noniterative Interpolation-Based Super-Resolution Minimizing Aliasing in the Reconstructed Image

Abstract: Super-resolution (SR) techniques produce a high-resolution image from a set of low-resolution undersampled images. In this paper, we propose a new method for super-resolution that uses sampling theory concepts to derive a noniterative SR algorithm. We first raise the issue of the validity of the data model usually assumed in SR, pointing out that it imposes a band-limited reconstructed image plus a certain type of noise. We propose a sampling theory framework with a prefiltering step that allows us to work with more general data models and also a specific new method for SR that uses Delaunay triangulation and B-splines to build the super-resolved image. The proposed method is noniterative and well posed. We prove its effectiveness against traditional iterative and noniterative SR methods on synthetic and real data. Additionally, we also prove that we can first solve the interpolation problem and then make the deblurring not only when the motion is translational but also when there are rotations and shifts and the imaging system point spread function (PSF) is rotationally symmetric.

Performance of a single photon counting microstrip detector for strip pitches down to 10 μm

Abstract: The MYTHEN detector is a one-dimensional microstrip detector with single photon counting readout optimized for time resolved powder diffraction experiments at the Swiss Light Source (SLS). The system has been successfully tested for many different synchrotron radiation applications including phase contrast and tomographic imaging, small angle scattering, diffraction and time resolved pump and probe experiments for X-ray energies down to 5 keV and counting rate up to 3 MHz. The frontend electronics is designed in order to be coupled to 50 μm pitch microstrip sensors but some interest in enhancing the spatial resolution is arising for imaging and powder diffraction experiments. A test structure with strip pitches in the range 10–50 μm has been tested and the gain and noise on the readout electronics have been measured for the different strip pitches, observing no large difference down to 25 μm. Moreover, the effect of the charge sharing between neighboring strips on the spatial resolution has been quantified by measuring the Point Spread Function (PSF) of the system for the different pitches.