Why is my image noisy? A look into the terms contributing to a time-resolved X-ray microscopy image

J Synchrotron Radiat. 2021 Jul 1;28(Pt 4):1146-1158. doi: 10.1107/S1600577521004240. Epub 2021 May 27.

Abstract

Through Monte Carlo simulations, we investigate how various experimental parameters can influence the quality of time-resolved scanning transmission X-ray microscopy images. In particular, the effect of the X-ray photon flux, of the thickness of the investigated samples, and of the frequency of the dynamical process under investigation on the resulting time-resolved image are investigated. The ideal sample and imaging conditions that allow for an optimal image quality are then identifed.

Keywords: Monte Carlo simulations; STXM; time-resolved microscopy.