deconvolution

deconvolution

(dee-kon-vŏ-loo -shŏn) The recovery (‘unsmearing’) of data, such as an astronomical image, that has been convolved (see convolution) with a response function, such as a telescope beam. The process is nearly always carried out on a computer using one or more deconvolution algorithms (see aperture synthesis). It can greatly improve the fidelity of images, particularly when the convolving function is well defined. The process is used extensively in aperture synthesis to remove artifacts generated by the synthesized beam and greatly improved the early performance of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006