Performance bounds on synchronous laser line scan systems

Abstract

In this article a performance bound is derived for feasible image resolution among a class of imaging systems that can be referred to as synchronous laser line scan systems. Most often, these systems use a narrow beam projected source (typically a laser) in conjunction with a very small field of view receiver that is synchronously scanned. Here, a bound on the maximum system resolution is derived when both source and receiver are "delta function like". The bound demonstrates that the best achievable overall system point spread function is the square of the one way point spread function for the medium.