Open AccessAll-optical coherent pulse compression for dynamic laser ranging using an acousto-optic dual comb
Author(s) -
Vincent Billault,
Vicente Durán,
Carlos R. Fernández-Pousa,
Vincent Crozatier,
Daniel Dolfi,
Hugues Guillet de Chatellus
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.430998
Subject(s) - optics , ranging , laser , bandwidth (computing) , dynamic range , pulse compression , waveform , photonics , frequency comb , chirp , physics , materials science , computer science , telecommunications , radar
We demonstrate a new and simple dynamic laser ranging platform based on analog all-optical coherent pulse compression of modulated optical waveforms. The technique employs a bidirectional acousto-optic frequency shifting loop, which provides a dual-comb photonic signal with an optical bandwidth in the microwave range. This architecture simply involves a CW laser, standard telecom components and low frequency electronics, both for the dual-comb generation and for the detection. As a laser ranging system, it offers a range resolution of a few millimeters, set by a dual-comb spectral bandwidth of 24 GHz, and a precision of 20 µm for an integration time of 20 ms. The system is also shown to provide dynamic measurements at scanning rates in the acoustic range, including phase-sensitive measurements and Doppler shift velocimetry. In addition, we show that the application of perfect correlation phase sequences to the transmitted waveforms allows the ambiguity range to be extended by a factor of 10 up to ∼20 m. The system generates quasi-continuous waveforms with low peak power, which makes it possible to envision long-range telemetry or reflectometry requiring highly amplified signals.