Periodic Artifact Reduction in Fourier transforms of Full Field Atomic Resolution Images
This addresses a specific issue for researchers in electron microscopy by providing a more reliable method for artifact reduction, though it is incremental as it builds on existing decomposition techniques.
The paper tackles the problem of cross-patterned artifacts in Fourier transforms of atomic resolution images caused by edge discontinuities, and demonstrates that the Periodic Plus Smooth Decomposition technique effectively removes these artifacts while maintaining sharp reciprocal lattice peaks.
The discrete Fourier transform is among the most routine tools used in high-resolution scanning / transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM). However, when calculating a Fourier transform, periodic boundary conditions are imposed and sharp discontinuities between the edges of an image cause a cross patterned artifact along the reciprocal space axes. This artifact can interfere with the analysis of reciprocal lattice peaks of an atomic resolution image. Here we demonstrate that the recently developed Periodic Plus Smooth Decomposition technique provides a simple, efficient method for reliable removal of artifacts caused by edge discontinuities. In this method, edge artifacts are reduced by subtracting a smooth background that solves Poisson's equation with boundary conditions set by the image's edges. Unlike the traditional windowed Fourier transforms, Periodic Plus Smooth Decomposition maintains sharp reciprocal lattice peaks from the image's entire field of view.