Laser Radar: Progress and Opportunities in Active Electro-Optical Sensing

Description

The National Academies Press, Washington, 2014, 311 pages, ISBN: 0309302161 9780309302166This book considers the potential of active EO technologies to create surprise; i.e., systems that use a source of visible or infrared light to interrogate a target in combination with sensitive detectors and processors to analyze the returned light.This report evaluates the fundamental, physical limits to active EO sensor technologies with potential military utility; identifies key technologies that may help overcome the impediments within a 5-10 year timeframe; considers the pros and cons of implementing each existing or emerging technology; and evaluates the potential uses of active EO sensing technologies, including 3D mapping and multi-discriminate laser radar technologies.Contents Summary Introduction Applications Report Scope and Committee Approach Structure of This Report Concluding ThoughtsActive electro-optical sensing approaches Range Measurement Techniques Laser Range Finders One-Dimensional Range Profile Imaging Ladar Two-Dimensional Active/Gated Imaging Three-Dimensional Direct-Detection Active Imaging Active Polarimetry Underwater Sensing Vibration Sensing Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Aerosol Sensing Differential Absorption Lidar Raman Sensing Laser-Induced Fluorescence Wind Sensing Commercial Laser/Ladar ProductsEmerging electro-optical technologies Multiwavelength Ladar Temporal Heterodyne Detection: Strong Local Oscillator Temporal Heterodyne Detection: Weak Local Oscillator Synthetic-Aperture Ladar Digital Holography/Spatial Heterodyne Multiple Input, Multiple Output Active Electro-Optical Sensing Speckle Imaging Ladar Using Femtosecond Sources Advanced Quantum Approaches General Conclusions—Emerging SystemsActive electro-optical component technologies Laser Sources for Imaging Nonlinear-Optics-Based Sources Detectors/Receivers Framing Cameras Remote Ultra-Low-Light Imaging Graphene Quantum Dot Infrared Detectors Optical Antennas Beam Steering and Stabilization Thermal Management Telescopes Adaptive Optics Processing, Exploitation, and DisseminationFundamental limits of active electro-optical sensing Illumination Sources Detectors Signal Processing Propagation Effects Concluding Thoughts and Overarching Conclusion and Recommendation Appendixes Committee Biographies Meetings and Participating Organizations Laser Sources and Their Fundamental and Engineering Limits