Modulation transfer function technique for real time radioscopic system characterization.

At the University of Virginia neutron radiography facility, a modulation transfer function technique has been developed that can easily predict and compare the resolving characteristics of the real time system and the individual system components. We desired a simple method by which new system components could be analyzed to determine their image transfer characteristics and to estimate how they would affect the composite system during data acquisition. The method employed measures a small set of constant system parameters related to data collected across a cadmium cut-edge aperture. The effects of system noise and spatial variance on the measured data are reduced so that a representation of the true signal can be obtained for analysis. Resolution parameters for the total neutron radiography system and for the individual system components are reported.