In the laboratory of the School of Information and Communication Engineering of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, a scientific and technological breakthrough that has attracted the attention of the world is unveiling its mystery. For the first time, the team proposed a new type of lidar instrument based on the dispersive Fourier transform method, which achieves an absolute distance measurement accuracy of 2.8 nanometers, which is a qualitative leap forward in traditional lidar technology.
The core of the technology: the innovative application of dispersive Fourier transform
The key to this technique lies in the application of the dispersive Fourier transform, which allows full-spectrum interferometry by in-line pulse stretching. Compared to traditional temporal interferometry or pulse reconstruction methods, this method is able to identify the delay of the pulse more accurately, which greatly improves the measurement accuracy.
Experimental data: a double breakthrough in accuracy and distance
In the experiment, the team from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China not only achieved a measurement accuracy of 2.8 nanometers, but also a measurement distance of 1.7 kilometers. This result means that the new lidar can detect targets from a long distance while maintaining high accuracy, which was unimaginable in previous technologies.
Tech Revealed: How to Achieve 2.8nm Accuracy?
The secret to achieving this accuracy lies in the team's use of a lock-in vernier double soliton laser comb for data analysis. With this approach, researchers are able to collect and analyze large amounts of data in a very short period of time to achieve accurate measurements of the target. In addition, the technology has the ability to completely eliminate dead zones, which is especially important in small target detection.
Figure: Conceptual design and operation of DFT-based dual-comb ranging
The new lidar technology has shown unique advantages in the detection of low, slow and small targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles. In areas such as security, agriculture, traffic monitoring, and more, the ability to accurately detect these targets is crucial. This technology from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China is expected to greatly improve the technical level and application scope of these fields.
The research results have been published in the internationally renowned academic journal Nature Communications, which is not only a recognition of the research results of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, but also an affirmation of China's scientific research strength.
This technological breakthrough of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China is not only of epoch-making significance in academics, but also of practical application value. With the further development and refinement of the technology, it is expected to play an important role in many fields such as industrial manufacturing, remote sensing detection, airborne and vehicle-mounted missions. The advent of this technology is not only a reflection of the scientific research strength of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, but also a solid step forward for China in the global scientific and technological competition. With the continuous optimization of this technology and the expansion of application fields, we have reason to believe that it will have a far-reaching impact on many aspects of society and promote the progress of science and technology and the development of industry.
Paper：Dispersive Fourier transform based dual-comb ranging
