Eleven Primitives and Three Gates: The Universal Structure of Computational Imaging

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Yang, Chengshuai, Yuan, Xin
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
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author Yang, Chengshuai
Yuan, Xin
author_facet Yang, Chengshuai
Yuan, Xin
contents Computational imaging systems -- from coded-aperture cameras to cryo-electron microscopes -- span five carrier families yet share a hidden structural simplicity. We prove that every imaging forward model decomposes into a directed acyclic graph over exactly 11 physically typed primitives (Finite Primitive Basis Theorem) -- a sufficient and minimal basis that provides a compositional language for designing any imaging modality. We further prove that every reconstruction failure has exactly three independent root causes: information deficiency, carrier noise, and operator mismatch (Triad Decomposition). The three gates map to the system lifecycle: Gates 1 and 2 guide design (sampling geometry, carrier selection); Gate 3 governs deployment-stage calibration and drift correction. Validation across 12 modalities and all five carrier families confirms both results, with +0.8 to +13.9 dB recovery on deployed instruments. Together, the 11 primitives and 3 gates establish the first universal grammar for designing, diagnosing, and correcting computational imaging systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_13521
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Eleven Primitives and Three Gates: The Universal Structure of Computational Imaging
Yang, Chengshuai
Yuan, Xin
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
68U10, 94A08
I.4.5; I.4.9
Computational imaging systems -- from coded-aperture cameras to cryo-electron microscopes -- span five carrier families yet share a hidden structural simplicity. We prove that every imaging forward model decomposes into a directed acyclic graph over exactly 11 physically typed primitives (Finite Primitive Basis Theorem) -- a sufficient and minimal basis that provides a compositional language for designing any imaging modality. We further prove that every reconstruction failure has exactly three independent root causes: information deficiency, carrier noise, and operator mismatch (Triad Decomposition). The three gates map to the system lifecycle: Gates 1 and 2 guide design (sampling geometry, carrier selection); Gate 3 governs deployment-stage calibration and drift correction. Validation across 12 modalities and all five carrier families confirms both results, with +0.8 to +13.9 dB recovery on deployed instruments. Together, the 11 primitives and 3 gates establish the first universal grammar for designing, diagnosing, and correcting computational imaging systems.
title Eleven Primitives and Three Gates: The Universal Structure of Computational Imaging
topic Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
68U10, 94A08
I.4.5; I.4.9
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.13521