Precision analysis of ToF LiDAR in atmospheric turbulence channels

This paper derives and verifies the ranging precision of time-of-flight (ToF) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) in atmospheric turbulence channels. Double-passage atmospheric turbulence channels satisfying the Gamma-Gamma distribution are simulated in the laboratory using a random phase screen, and the derived Cramer-Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) for LiDAR ranging in Gamma-Gamma channels are verified by the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation and experiment. The CRLBs demonstrate that the precision values at Rytov variances of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 are 1.45, 2.07, and 2.91 times those at a Rytov variance of zero for the ToF LiDAR, respectively. Consequently, this paper provides a theoretical foundation for the deployment of high-precision LiDAR applications in turbulent channels.