A new algorithm to improve imaging quality for muon tomography

Abstract

In recent years, Muography has been applied in many areas such as geological prospecting and national security. With the development of Muography, the demand for precise algorithms is on the rise. This paper focuses on Muon Tomography and proposes a new Muon Tomography algorithm that decomposes muon scattering angles into changes in azimuthal angle φ and polar angle θ in a spherical coordinate system. Calculate their change ratios to determine the equivalent scattering point. This algorithm divides the calculation of muon scattering points into three steps to enhance the equivalent accuracy of the muon trajectories. The new algorithm is applied to process both simulation and experimental data. It combines three methods for evaluating imaging quality: the SSIM(Structural Similarity Index Measure) algorithm, Ratio of Effective Scattering Point, and Spectrum of the Distance from Scattering Points to the Origin. These methods are used to compare the image quality of the new algorithm with the PoCA algorithm. The results show that compared to the PoCA algorithm, the new algorithm significantly improves the image quality without angle selection, nearly doubling the fraction of effective scattering points. When imaging low-Z materials where the PoCA algorithm is not suitable, the new algorithm also effectively enhances the imaging quality. Also, the imaging quality can be further optimized by continuously iterating the boundary of the imaging area.