Journal of Applied Optics, Volume. 46, Issue 3, 522(2025)

Domestic kilometer-level single photon ranging system

Yangyang DENG1, Biyang MA5, Dalu HOU6, Jiefeng XIAO5, Yang OU1,2,3,4, and Yupeng XIONG1,2,3,4、*
Author Affiliations
  • 1College of Intelligent Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China
  • 2Hunan Key Laboratory of Ultra-Precision Machining Technology, Changsha 410073, China
  • 3State Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Integrated Logistics Support, Changsha 410073, China
  • 4Nanhu Laser Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China
  • 5College of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China
  • 6Basic Education College, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China
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    Single-photon lidar offers superior detection sensitivity, temporal resolution, and photon utilization compared to traditional linear lidar systems. It is increasingly important in fields such as remote sensing and mapping, military reconnaissance, and camouflage recognition. A domestically developed single-photon ranging system operating at the 1.5 μm wavelength was presented, in which a compact 1.5 μm fiber laser source with adaptive noise reduction and frequency modulation features was integrated to reduce system dark counts and eliminate range ambiguity. High-precision time-to-digital converters (TDC) were used to control system size, while the non-coaxial transceiver design ensured simple structure, easy adjustment and low noise. The single-photon ranging of 1.7 km was achieved with an optical power output of only 10 mW and a single pulse energy of 200 nJ. Experiments with multi-layer camouflage net-covered targets demonstrate the accurate target identification through the camouflage, with a detection precision better than 0.1 m. The results indicate that the domestically developed system performs well, showing significant advantages in power consumption, size, and weight, and is expected to paly an important role in many fields in the future.

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    Yangyang DENG, Biyang MA, Dalu HOU, Jiefeng XIAO, Yang OU, Yupeng XIONG. Domestic kilometer-level single photon ranging system[J]. Journal of Applied Optics, 2025, 46(3): 522

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    Paper Information

    Category: SPECIAL COLUMN ON UNMANNED INTELLIGENT SENSING TECHNOLOGY

    Received: Apr. 1, 2025

    Accepted: --

    Published Online: May. 28, 2025

    The Author Email: Yupeng XIONG (熊玉朋)

    DOI:10.5768/JAO202546.0311006

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