Statistical model for fading return signals in coherent lidars

Real-time acquisition and enhancement of remote acoustic signals by a free-space monostatic homodyne laser Doppler vibrometer

This paper systematically presents the design and performance of an extremely sensitive 1.55-µm free-space monostatic laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) using optical homodyne detection for real-time acquisition and enhancement of the remote acoustic signals. The phase shifts produced by laser light scattered off a remote target carries the extremely tiny vibration displacement information of the target' surface motivated by the acoustic source around and is demodulated using the optical in-phase/quadrature demodulator. The real-time acquisitions of the remote acoustic signals, including the sinusoidal signal and the speech signal at the target distance of 100 m, is performed between two buildings. The real-time speech enhancement of remote speech signals is also carried out by the different algorithms based on the short-time spectral magnitude, and the comprehensible speech signals can be reconstructed. The results demonstrate that the designed free-space monostatic homodyne LDV has a low system background noise and can offer high precision for the uncooperative targets in the real-time acquisition of the remote acoustic signal.

Fast non-line-of-sight imaging with high-resolution and wide field of view using synthetic wavelength holography

The presence of a scattering medium in the imaging path between an object and an observer is known to severely limit the visual acuity of the imaging system. We present an approach to circumvent the deleterious effects of scattering, by exploiting spectral correlations in scattered wavefronts. Our Synthetic Wavelength Holography (SWH) method is able to recover a holographic representation of hidden targets with sub-mm resolution over a nearly hemispheric angular field of view. The complete object field is recorded within 46 ms, by monitoring the scattered light return in a probe area smaller than 6 cm × 6 cm. This unique combination of attributes opens up a plethora of new Non-Line-of-Sight imaging applications ranging from medical imaging and forensics, to early-warning navigation systems and reconnaissance. Adapting the findings of this work to other wave phenomena will help unlock a wider gamut of applications beyond those envisioned in this paper.

Correlation between turbulence-impacted optical signals collected via a pair of adjacent spatial-mode receivers

Optical spatial-mode reception has a physical nature quite different from that of the traditional optical power-in-the-bucket (PIB) reception. The former belongs to coherent reception scheme while the latter pertains to incoherent reception scheme. Under weak-turbulence conditions, the statistical correlation between turbulence-impacted optical signals collected by a pair of adjacent spatial-mode receivers is mathematically formulated in terms of a new theoretical framework that takes into account the distinctive nature of the spatial-mode reception. The aperture Fresnel number, coherence Fresnel number, separation Fresnel number and mode Fresnel number are identified as fundamental determinative parameters in evaluation of the correlation coefficient. With the help of the obtained formulations, two analytical asymptotic formulae for the correlation coefficient are further derived under the conditions that the aperture Fresnel number is much smaller than the coherence Fresnel number and separation Fresnel number, respectively. Despite the use of asymptotic approximations in the theoretical derivation, it is found that the two asymptotic formulae indeed have utility in many situations of practical interest to us. Furthermore, Monte-Carlo-simulation-based calculations are carried out to examine the accuracy of employing the two asymptotic formulae to approximate the correlation coefficient. It is shown that the ranges of applicability of these two asymptotic formulae are mainly determined by the coherence Fresnel number and the ratio of the separation Fresnel number to the aperture Fresnel number, basically irrespective of the mode Fresnel number.

Target speckle correction using an array detector in heterodyne detection

To evaluate the effectiveness of array detectors for target speckle correction in applications of active heterodyne detection, a high-speed camera heterodyne system was developed. The heterodyne images received by a high-speed camera at a rate of 100 kfps were equidistantly divided into a set of array signals. The phase adjustment of each array element was determined by the adaptive particle swarm optimization algorithm. In this Letter, an array grouping method is also proposed to overcome the difficulty of insufficient computing power due to an excessive number of array elements. The enhancement using the new technique is almost a factor of 2 for the case of a 20×20 detector array. The experimental results demonstrate that, in the presence of target speckle, the array detector can significantly enhance the heterodyne system performance.

Shared secret key generation from signal fading in a turbulent optical wireless channel using common-transverse-spatial-mode coupling

Common randomness arising from turbulence-induced signal fading in reciprocal optical wireless channels is a beneficial resource that can be used to generate secret keys shared by two legitimate parties. The concept of optical wireless channels using common-transverse-spatial-mode coupling (CTSMC) that can maintain perfect fading reciprocity in atmospheric turbulence is first developed in a general manner. Subsequently, by performing Monte Carlo simulations, the Johnson SB probability distribution is demonstrated to be appropriate for statistical description of turbulence-induced signal fading in an optical wireless channel constructed by use of two identical CTSMC transceivers, and the nature of correlation between signal fadings detected by two contiguous reception spatial modes is further quantitatively characterized, revealing that rapid spatial decorrelation between signal fadings observed by a legitimate party and an eavesdropper holds for scenarios of practical interest. Finally, the information theoretic capacity for generating secret keys from CTSMC-based optical wireless channels is theoretically formulated and quantitatively examined under different conditions, manifesting that the turbulence strength and average electrical signal-to-noise ratio have a noticeable combined impact on the secret key capacity, especially in the far-field case.

A reconfigurable all-fiber polarization-diversity coherent Doppler lidar: principles and numerical simulations

This paper shows an efficient adaptation of a polarization diversity optical front-end, commonly used in high-speed fiber-optic communications, in a coherent Doppler lidar (CDL). The adopted architecture can be employed in a modified transceiver design for an all-fiber micropulsed coherent Doppler wind lidar where the performance limits of such systems are pushed beyond the conventionally available wind CDLs. As a result, either a longer measurement range, crucial in clear-air environments with low concentration of aerosols, or a shorter integration time (resulting in a faster scanning) can be achieved. Alternatively, in certain aerosol loading conditions where the presence of nonspherical aerosols is considerable, the system can be reconfigured on the fly to analyze the cross polarization of the backscatter optical signal. The result is the capability to analyze the nature of aerosol particles for the detected range of interest. Due to full utilization of the backscatter signal, i.e., detection of co-polarization and cross polarization components, the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) as well as detection range is improved in this configuration. Moreover, the system is capable of providing a more reliable estimation of the aerosol backscatter coefficient when compared with the contemporary CDLs. This system employs robust and compact all-fiber subsystems, which are cost effective and widely available as off-the-shelf components.

Comb-calibrated laser ranging for three-dimensional surface profiling with micrometer-level precision at a distance

Non-contact surface mapping at a distance is interesting in diverse applications including industrial metrology, manufacturing, forensics, and artifact documentation and preservation. Frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) laser detection and ranging (LADAR) is a promising approach since it offers shot-noise limited precision/accuracy, high resolution and high sensitivity. We demonstrate a scanning imaging system based on a frequency-comb calibrated FMCW LADAR and real-time digital signal processing. This system can obtain three-dimensional images of a diffusely scattering surface at stand-off distances up to 10.5 m with sub-micrometer accuracy and with a precision below 10 µm, limited by fundamental speckle noise. Because of its shot-noise limited sensitivity, this comb-calibrated FMCW LADAR has a large dynamic range, which enables precise mapping of scenes with vastly differing reflectivities such as metal, dirt or vegetation. The current system is implemented with fiber-optic components, but the basic system architecture is compatible with future optically integrated, on-chip systems.

Speckle phase noise in coherent laser ranging: fundamental precision limitations

Frequency-modulated continuous-wave laser detection and ranging (FMCW LADAR) measures the range to a surface through coherent detection of the backscattered light from a frequency-swept laser source. The ultimate limit to the range precision of FMCW LADAR, or any coherent LADAR, to a diffusely scattering surface will be determined by the unavoidable speckle phase noise. Here, we demonstrate the two main manifestations of this limit. First, frequency-dependent speckle phase noise leads to a non-Gaussian range distribution having outliers that approach the system range resolution, regardless of the signal-to-noise ratio. These outliers are reduced only through improved range resolution (i.e., higher optical bandwidths). Second, if the range is measured during a continuous lateral scan across a surface, the spatial pattern of speckle phase is converted to frequency noise, which leads to additional excess range uncertainty. We explore these two effects and show that laboratory results agree with analytical expressions and numerical simulations. We also show that at 1 THz optical bandwidth, range precisions below 10 μm are achievable regardless of these effects.