NPRE 435
Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering
NPRE 435
COURSE OUTLINE
Course Number: NPRE 435
Title: Principles of Imaging with Ionizing Radiation
Catalogue Description: Techniques used to generate ionizing radiation useful in the imaging of solids and medical imaging will be studied. The theory and applications of biological and medical imaging modalities that use ionizing radiation will be covered. This includes x-ray diagnostic methods such as plain film, and digital, computer axial tomography (CAT) and radionuclide imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and gamma cameras. It will also cover the theory and applications of materials imaging. These include x-ray, electron, and neutron diffraction, in addition to small angle neutron and x-ray scattering (SANS, and SAXS). Prerequisite: NPRE 446.
| Principle Topics Covered | Hours (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Generation and Characterization of Ionizing Radiation | 3 |
| Fundamentals of radioactivity and sources of radioisotopes | 2 |
| Physics of imaging with ionizing radioisotopes | |
| Planer imaging with x-rays | 9 |
| Methods of planer x-ray image enhancement | 4 |
| Planer imaging with x-rays | 6 |
| Signal Processing | |
| Mathematics of image formation and processing | 6 |
| Role of computers in signal processing | 1 |
| Biological and Medical Applications | |
| 3 dimensional imaging applications | |
| X-ray based techniques | 5 |
| Computer aided tomography | |
| X-ray based techniques tomography | 9 |
| Positron emission (PET) and Single photon emission (SPECT) | |
| Exams | 2 |
| Total | 45 |
Basic Texts: Required:
- Webb, S., “The Physics of Medical Imaging” (Institute of Physics Publishing,Philadelphia, 1995).
- Cowley, J.M., “Diffraction Physics” (North Holland, Amsterdam, 1981).
Prerequisites: NPRE 446 or consent of instructor
Purpose of Course: This is an upper level course intended to fill in the imaging curriculum. Goals are to teach basic concepts and principles involved in imaging with ionizing radiation, introduce the ideas that revolutionized imaging, identify issues or limitations that prevent the field from advancing, provide the students with an ability to analyze and solve problems, and ask relevant questions. Students should be able to identify differences between the types of information obtained with x-ray vs gamma ray imaging techniques, sources of signal intensity differences between the two techniques, solve problems, and advance the field by developing new types of instrumentation that overcome current limitations of sensitivity and resolution.
Instructor: James F. Stubbins
Credit: 3 Semester Hours or 3/4 Unit
Meeting hours per week: 3
Class registration opacity: 30
Semesters course offered: REFER TO MASTER LISTING
Other notes: The revision of the Nuclear Engineering curriculum to more accurately represent areas in the field that are rapidly expanding requires two new areas be added in addition to classical nuclear power. This course contains subject material of major relevance to the overall Nuclear Engineering curriculum and other engineering curricula. Imaging techniques are growing both in medicine and in other sectors of technology particularly in areas in radiological science and engineering. This new course is introduced to provide subject material not offered at the 300-level in other campus courses. It is of critical importance to the revised curriculum in Nuclear Engineering and is relevant to other majors in which imaging with ionizing radiation is utilized.
The level of technical content of this course is directed to senior engineering undergraduate students and graduate students. No course on imaging with ionizing radiation is offered on campus, yet it fits within the area of specialization in our department known as radiological sciences, in addition to other disciplines on campus. Such an imaging course compliments the many imaging courses on campus dealing with nonionizing radiations such as MRI or techniques that teach about ultrasound imaging. This course gives the campus a complete set of courses on modern medical imaging techniques.
Course last revised: May 2007
© 2009 The Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois