Restoration, Resolution, and Noise

Abstract

This paper treats the problem of restoring the detail to an optical image which has been degraded by diffraction and noise. The particular contribution of the paper is a more complete analysis of the effects of various types of noise on system performance than has been given previously. Background noise, measurement noise, and computer roundoff error are considered, and the errors in the reconstructed image caused by these noise processes are evaluated. Numerical results for the special case of a perfect one-dimensional slit aperture are obtained. A general conclusion is that the reconstruction technique described here is most useful when the smoothing is severe and when a modest improvement of resolution may be worthwhile.