Scintillation Limitations to Resolving Power in Imaging Devices

Abstract

The theoretical performance limit of an imaging device may in many cases depend upon the quantum fluctuation noise of the signal itself. Experiments on the ability of the eye to recognize a regular pattern delineated by randomly fluctuating scintillations are described, and the data are used to calculate the resolving power of an ideal image intensifier used with an x-ray fluoroscope. It is shown that the ultimate resolving power in such a system may ideally exceed even that of ordinary screen-film radiography.