Experimental correlation-based identification of X-ray CT point spread function. Part 1: Method and experimental results

Knowledge of the point spread function (PSF) of an imaging system is important when studying the characteristics of the blur present in the images. Published experimental PSF identification techniques adapt classical one-dimensional linear system identification strategies using impulse, step function or periodic input signals. This study proposes and successfully applies a correlation method based on the Wiener-Hopf equation to identify the PSF of a CT scanner. The input consists of a series of pseudorandomly located holes. Results are found to be statistically equivalent to those obtained with the impulse method at a 90% two-sided confidence interval. Like the impulse method, it readily yields two-dimensional estimate, but the larger input circumvents the major objection to the use of a wire input. Furthermore, it is relatively immune to output noise, offering an advantage over edge methods. This resistance to noise may prove helpful for nuclear medicine imaging techniques, for which the signal-to-noise ratio is much lower than that X-ray for CT.