A 300 THz tabletop radar range system with sub-micron distance accuracy.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Electromagnetics
• Metrology

Background:

• Traditional radar systems face limitations in size and complexity for certain applications.
• Optical methods offer potential for high-precision measurements at smaller scales.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a compact optical system capable of simulating radar ranging measurements.
• To demonstrate the system's accuracy and potential for characterizing complex targets.

Main Methods:

• Utilized interferometric time-of-flight with a 100 fs laser pulse at optical wavelengths (300 THz).
• Employed a tabletop system with a scale factor of 10^5.
• Compared optical measurements with radio frequency (RF) measurements using a vector network analyzer.

Main Results:

• Achieved sub-micron range accuracy, equivalent to 3 cm for S-band radar.
• Successfully demonstrated system potential on a simple target and a 3D printed model of the USS Arizona.
• Extracted a 3D model from ranging data of the complex target.

Conclusions:

• The optical system effectively simulates radar ranging properties with high precision.
• This technology provides a viable tabletop alternative for radar measurements and target characterization.
• Further validates the use of optics for simulating complex radio frequency systems.