Nov 16
statistical estimation and hypotheses testing in x-ray imaging
The last two articles discussed the use of energy information to increase the SNR of x-ray imaging systems. They assumed that the attenuation coefficient is a continuous function of energy and that the energy spectrum is measured with perfect resolution. But we know from my posts here, here, here, and here that the attenuation coefficient can be expressed as a linear combination of two functions of energy. In addition, as I discussed in my posts about deadtime, the extremely high count rates required for medical x-ray systems severely limit the energy resolution and the complexity of the signal processing.
My paper “Near optimal energy selective x-ray imaging system performance with simple detectors”, which is available for free download here, discusses the use of the two-function decomposition in the signal processing. By transforming the problem from infinite to finite dimensions, the decomposition allows us to get near ideal SNR using low energy-resolution measurements, which may be possible with high speed photon counting detectors.
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