Single-photon ranging lidar based on multi-repetition-rate pulse train correlation and accumulation

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Optical Engineering
• Remote Sensing

Background:

• Single-photon lidar offers high sensitivity for ranging applications.
• Traditional lidar methods can face limitations in precision and speed, especially at short acquisition times.
• Improving signal-to-noise ratio is crucial for enhancing lidar performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel single-photon lidar system utilizing multi-repetition-rate pulse train correlation and accumulation.
• To enhance ranging precision and speed compared to single-repetition-rate methods.
• To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method under challenging conditions, such as short acquisition times.

Main Methods:

• Development of a single-photon lidar system incorporating multi-repetition-rate pulse trains.
• Implementation of correlation ranging with accumulated results from pulse trains at varying internal spacings (80, 100, 125 ns).
• Experimental validation on a 32m target with comparative analysis against a single-repetition-rate method.

Main Results:

• Achieved a three-fold improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio of the cross-correlation function.
• Enhanced ranging precision by over 20% compared to the single-repetition-rate method.
• Demonstrated a ranging precision of 2.59 cm at an acquisition time of 0.01 s, where the single-rate method failed.

Conclusions:

• The multi-repetition-rate pulse train correlation and accumulation method significantly improves single-photon lidar performance.
• This technique offers a substantial advantage in ranging precision and speed, particularly for short acquisition times.
• The proposed method holds great significance for realizing high-speed, large-scale, and unambiguous single-photon lidar ranging.