SNRideal
SNRideal is a concept used in imaging, astronomy, and related fields to denote the theoretical maximum signal-to-noise ratio achievable by a system under ideal conditions. It represents the photon-shot-noise-limited limit, where the only source of uncertainty is the inherent randomness of photon arrival.
Under Poisson statistics, the number of detected photons from a source in a given exposure is N.
In real systems, several non-ideal factors reduce the observed SNR below SNRideal. Detector readout noise, dark
SNRideal serves as a reference for exposure planning and performance evaluation. It helps researchers estimate the