Noise Robustness of a Combined Phase Retrieval and Reconstruction Method for Phase-Contrast Tomography
For researchers in phase-contrast tomography, this work provides a thorough comparison showing improved noise robustness, which could enable faster imaging or reduced radiation dose.
The paper compares a novel combined phase retrieval and reconstruction method for phase-contrast tomography with a classical two-stage method, demonstrating that the novel method is substantially more robust to noise, potentially reducing counting times by an order of magnitude.
Classical reconstruction methods for phase-contrast tomography consist of two stages: phase retrieval and tomographic reconstruction. A novel algebraic method combining the two was suggested by Kostenko et al. (Opt. Express, 21, 12185, 2013) and preliminary results demonstrating improved reconstruction compared to a two-stage method given. Using simulated free-space propagation experiments with a single sample-detector distance, we thoroughly compare the novel method with the two-stage method to address limitations of the preliminary results. We demonstrate that the novel method is substantially more robust towards noise; our simulations point to a possible reduction in counting times by an order of magnitude.