Low light-level ultraviolet and optical imaging with a photon counting image intensifier coupled to a charge coupled device camera generally results in varying levels of fixed pattern noise in the image. Here, we demonstrate that this can be minimized by the appropriate choice of photon event centroiding algorithm. We compare the fixed pattern noise generated by a center of gravity centroiding algorithm, a Gaussian centroiding algorithm, and a hybrid centroiding algorithm which uses center of gravity centroiding when one wing is zero, and Gaussian centroiding otherwise. This approach yields the best image quality with a lower fixed pattern noise parameter (9.99%) than the sole use of Gaussian centroiding (16.4%), and there is no need for a look-up table correction. In addition, the hybrid algorithm also yields maximum detective quantum efficiency by overcoming small pulse centroiding failure associated with Gaussian centroiding. The digitization error when recording the events is modeled with a Monte Carlo simulation and discussed. It is found that a center of gravity algorithm produces not only significant fixed pattern noise, but also pulse height dependent positions. For a Gaussian centroiding algorithm the positions are independent of the pulse height, the fixed pattern noise is low and the digitization error only yields a small increase of the fixed pattern noise parameter. This shows that while there is a limit to centroiding accuracy due to the digitization error, the appropriate choice of centroiding algorithm is a much more important factor to minimize fixed pattern noise.
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August 2002
Research Article|
August 01 2002
Minimization of fixed pattern noise in photon event counting imaging
Klaus Suhling;
Klaus Suhling
Astrophysics Group, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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Robert W. Airey;
Robert W. Airey
Astrophysics Group, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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Brian L. Morgan
Brian L. Morgan
Astrophysics Group, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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Rev. Sci. Instrum. 73, 2917–2922 (2002)
Article history
Received:
February 05 2002
Accepted:
May 09 2002
Citation
Klaus Suhling, Robert W. Airey, Brian L. Morgan; Minimization of fixed pattern noise in photon event counting imaging. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 1 August 2002; 73 (8): 2917–2922. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1490422
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