Maximum-entropy image reconstruction using wavelets

Wavelet functions allow the sparse and efficient representation of a signal at different scales. Recently the application of wavelets to the denoising of maps of cosmic microwave background (CMB) fluctuations has been proposed. The maximum-entropy method (MEM) is also often used for enhancing astronomical images and has been applied to CMB data. In this paper, we give a systematic discussion of combining these two approaches by the use of the MEM in wavelet bases for the denoising and deconvolution of CMB maps and more general images. Certain types of wavelet transforms, such as the a trous transform, can be viewed as a multi-channel intrinsic correlation function (ICF). We find that the wavelet MEM has lower reconstruction residuals than conventional pixel-basis MEM in the case when the signal-to-noise ratio is low and the point spread function narrow. Furthermore, the Bayesian evidence for the wavelet MEM reconstructions is generally higher for a wide range of images. From a Bayesian point of view, the wavelet basis thus provides a better model of the image.