X-Ray Chopper Wheel Assembly

An x-ray chopper wheel assembly comprising:

• a disk chopper wheel configured to rotate about a rotation axis thereof, the rotation axis perpendicular to a rotation plane of the disk chopper wheel, the disk chopper wheel having a solid cross-sectional area in the rotation plane, the disk chopper wheel configured to absorb x-ray radiation received from an x-ray source at a source side of the disk chopper wheel, the disk chopper wheel defining one or more radial slit openings configured to pass x-ray radiation from the source side of the disk chopper wheel to an output side of the disk chopper wheel;
• a source-side scatter plate having a solid cross-sectional area in a plane parallel to the rotation plane of the disk chopper wheel, the source-side scatter plate configured to absorb x-ray radiation and defining an open slot therein configured to pass x-ray radiation, wherein the solid cross-sectional area of the source-side scatter plate is substantially smaller than the solid cross-sectional area of the disk chopper wheel;
• and
• a support structure configured to secure the source-side scatter plate substantially parallel to the rotation plane of the disk chopper wheel with a source-side gap between the source-side scatter plate and the source side of the disk chopper wheel.