Three-dimensional imaging properties of rotation-free square and hexagonal micro-CT systems

Abstract

We perform simulation studies of proposed square and hexagonal geometries of a multi-source X-ray micro-computed tomography (CT) system. The system uses linear arrays of the carbon nano-tube (CNT)-based X-ray sources which are individually addressable. In the square geometry, two linear source arrays and two area detectors form a square; whereas in the hexagonal geometry, three linear source arrays and three area detectors form a hexagon. The tomographic angular sampling for both geometries requires no motion of the sources or subject. Based on the sinogram maps, the hexagonal geometry has improved angular coverage than the square geometry. The ordered-subset convex iterative algorithm is implemented in both geometries for reconstructions from cone-beam projection data. The reconstructed images from both geometries are generally consistent with the phantom, although some streaking artifacts due to the limited-angle nature of the geometries are observed. The two geometries show similar performance in resolution-noise tradeoff. The gap-free hexagonal geometry produces lower mean squared error in the reconstructed images; when gaps between the source arrays and detectors are introduced, the angular coverage of the hexagonal geometry degrades faster and becomes worse than the square geometry. The impact of gaps on the imaging properties must be studied further.