Influence of pulse characteristics on ghost imaging lidar system

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Computational Imaging
• Lidar Technology

Background:

• Pulsed pseudo-thermal light sources are crucial for ghost imaging (GI) lidar systems.
• Image reconstruction quality in GI lidar is significantly influenced by light source properties, specifically pulse extinction ratio (PER) and pulse duty ratio.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze pseudo-thermal light fields under varying pulse characteristics and their impact on GI lidar performance.
• To quantitatively assess statistical distribution, contrast, and intensity correlation functions of pseudo-thermal light fields.
• To numerically simulate the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of reconstructed images using GI and differential ghost imaging (DGI) algorithms.

Main Methods:

• Generation of pseudo-thermal light fields with controlled pulse characteristics.
• Quantitative analysis of light field statistical properties, including distribution, contrast, and normalized intensity correlation.
• Numerical simulation of image reconstruction using GI and DGI algorithms, considering charge-coupled device (CCD) exposure time.

Main Results:

• The study provides the first quantitative analysis of pseudo-thermal light fields at different pulse characteristics, considering CCD exposure time.
• Simulations show a direct correlation between decreased PER and reduced PSNR in reconstructed images.
• Pulse duty ratio and CCD exposure time were identified as factors affecting PSNR degradation.

Conclusions:

• Image reconstruction quality in GI lidar systems is sensitive to the PER of the pseudo-thermal light source.
• Utilizing a DGI algorithm or reducing CCD exposure time can mitigate the decline in reconstruction quality.
• Optimizing pulse characteristics and CCD parameters is essential for enhancing GI lidar performance.