Modeling Real-World System Geometry and Detector Response within a High-Throughput X-Ray Simulation Framework

Simulations of x-ray scanners have the potential to aid in the design and understanding of system performance. We have previously shown the usefulness of a high-throughput simulation framework in pursuit of information theoretic analysis of x-ray systems employed for aviation security. While conclusions drawn from these studies were able to inform design decisions, they were limited to generic system geometries and naive interpretations of detector responses. In collaboration with the SureScan Corporation, we have since expanded our analysis efforts to include their real world system geometry and detector response. To this extent, we present our work to simulate the SureScan x1000 scanner, a fixed-gantry spectral CT system for checked baggage. Our simulations are validated in terms of system geometry and spectral response. We show how high fidelity simulations are used with SureScan reconstruction software to analyze virtual baggage. The close match between simulated and real world measurements means that simulation can be a powerful tool in system development. Moreover, the close match allows simulation to be a straightforward avenue for producing large labeled datasets needed in machine learning approaches to automatic threat recognition (ATR).