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An extension of the maximum-entropy (ME) data- restoration method is presented that is sensitive to periodic correlations in data. The method takes advantage of the higher signal-to-noise ratio for periodic information in Fourier space, thus enhancing statistically significant frequencies in a manner which avoids the user bias inherent in conventional Fourier filtering. This procedure incorporates concepts underlying new approaches in quantum mechanics that consider entropies in both position and momentum spaces, although the emphasis here is on data restoration rather than quantum physics. After a fast Fourier transform of the image, the phases are saved and the array of Fourier moduli are restored using the maximum-entropy criterion. A first-order continuation method is introduced that speeds convergence of the ME computation. The restored moduli together with the original phases are then Fourier inverted to yield a new image; traditional real-space ME restoration is applied to this new image completing one stage in the restoration process. In test cases with various types of added noise and in examples of normal and high-resolution electron-microscopy images, dramatic improvement can be obtained from two to four stages of iteration, even in cases where traditional ME restoration provides little improvement. It is shown that in traditional Fourier filtering spurious features can be induced by selection or elimination of Fourier components without regard to their statistical significance. With the present approach there is no such freedom for the user to exert personal bias, so that features present in the final image and power spectrum are those which have survived the tests of statistical significance in both real and Fourier space. However, it is still possible for periodicities to 'bleed' across sharp boundaries. An 'uncertainty' relation is derived describing the inverse relationship between the resolution of these boundaries and the level of noise that can be eliminated.
