Radiation beam intensity profile shaper

An imaging system, comprising:

• a focal spot configured to a rotate along a path around an examination region and emits radiation;
• a collimator configured to collimate the radiation, producing a radiation beam that traverses a field of view of the examination region;
• a detector array located opposite the radiation source, across the examination region, configured to detect radiation traversing the field of view and produces a signal indicative of the detected radiation;
• and
• a beam shaper, located between the radiation source and the collimator, configured to rotate in coordination with the focal spot and defines an intensity profile of the radiation beam,
• wherein the beam shaper includes a plurality of elongate x-ray absorbing elements arranged parallel to each other along a transverse direction with respect to a direction of the beam, separated from each other by a plurality of material free regions and widths of the plurality of x-ray absorbing elements along the transverse direction increase from a central region of the beam shaper towards end regions of the beam shaper.