Abel Inversion Algorithm

Fourier-based reconstruction of an unknown radial distribution assuming cylindrical symmetry.

The reconstruction of the radial density distribution of a cylindrically symmetric object is a common task in different area of physics (e.g. plasma physics). Typically, optical measurements of objects like plasma columns or flames are integrated along the line of sight.
To obtain the underlying distribution from a measured projection, the inverse Abel transform has to be calculated.
This submission provides a Fourier-based algorithm which extracts the radial (2D) distribution from a one-dimensional projection measurement. The algorithm has been proposed and published by G. Pretzler (Z. Naturforsch. 46a, 639 (1991)). Compared to earlier approaches towards Abel inversion, this algorithm is relatively insensitive to noise and errors in the determination of the object's center (see G. Pretzler et al. , Z. Naturforsch. 47a, 955 (1994)).
The fundamental idea is to fit the whole measured profile to a set of cos-expansion-based integrals. (In the conventional approach, in contrast, the radial distribution is obtained by starting at the edges and incrementally iterating towards the center - making it more prone to errors.)