An optimization procedure for spatial and density resolution in hard X-ray micro-computed tomography

The quality of the X-ray tomogram not only depends on the spatial resolution but also on the density resolution or contrast. Based on the theory of [Nucl. Instr. and Meth. 206 (1983) 541] it is concluded that the density resolution can be substantially improved by merging of pixels, referred to as binning, prior to reconstruction. We demonstrate that the quality of a given 3D-data set, i.e. the tomogram of stained biological cells seeded on a polymer multifilament yarn in phosphate buffered saline, can be optimized with respect to the product of spatial and density resolution – the image quality factor. This procedure improves or even enables the visualization and quantification of selected constituents in the tomogram. 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.