Quantum compressed sensing-based compound system for ranging/vibration measurement

Aiming at the problem that the ranging accuracy of the frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) lidar decreases in the strong noise environment, experiments are carried out to verify the feasibility of the Faraday anomalous dispersion filter (FADOF) in the FMCW lidar system. The transmitter of the system uses the potassium atom vapor cell to stabilize the frequency and uses the field programmable gate array (FPGA) as the servo system. K-FADOF is used to suppress the additive noise at the receiving end of the lidar system. The results of this experiment show that the use of FADOF can successfully eliminate the interference of noise at the receiver. This experiment verifies the effectiveness of FADOF in suppressing noise in the field of FMCW lidar.

Frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) LIDAR is a promising technology for next-generation integrated 3D imaging systems. However, it has been considered difficult to apply FMCW LIDAR for long-distance (> 100m) targets, such as those in automotive and airborne applications. Maintaining coherence between the reflected beam from the target and locally forwarded beam becomes a significant challenge for tunable laser design. This paper demonstrates the possibility of extending the detection range of FMCW LIDAR beyond the coherence range of its laser by improving the spectral estimation algorithm. By exploiting the Lorentzian prior of the received signal in the spectral domain, > 10x improvement in ranging accuracy is achieved compared to traditional algorithms that do not consider phase noise in the signal model. In light of this finding, the end-to-end modeling framework is presented to examine true system-level trade-offs of FMCW LIDAR and the feasibility of long -distance measurement.

In industrial sites, large-scale advanced manufacturing equipment such as optical diamond cutting lathes require stable operation during processing and are very sensitive to operating speed. However, the vibration generated by the environment or equipment will interfere with its operation and machining accuracy. A precise laser interference measurement system is required to monitor the running speed and position of the three-axis tool of the lathe in real time, providing accurate parameters for the closed-loop control system of the equipment, and improving the stability of lathe operation. Frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) lidar is widely used in the field of industrial measurement due to its non-contact, high accuracy, and fast dynamic response. The basic principle of FMCW lidars is to measure the velocity of a moving object through the Doppler frequency shift phenomenon. But the vibration generated by the moving object will cause the spectrum to broaden and the precision and repeatability of measurement to decrease. Therefore, we propose a large-bandwidth triangular wave-modulated lidar structure with Fabry-Pérot(F-P) cavity to achieve real-time high-precision measurement of the speed and distance of moving targets. This structure is based on the F–P resonance peaks generated by changing the length of the F-P cavity to accurately split the beat signal generated in the sweep frequency range of 1545-1565nm to obtain 40 sets of data with equal frequency intervals of 62GHz, effectively solve the problem of excessive data volume when measuring the continuous moving target speed and reduces the complexity of the algorithm. Splitting the measured beat signal based on the resonance peaks signal of the F-P cavity, which reduces the phase delay of the beat signal corresponding to the up- and down-scanning, thus reducing the signal spectrum broadening caused by frequency deviation and nonlinear, and increasing the target measurement resolution, accuracy and range. The experimental results show that for speeds of up to 250mm/s, the mean standard deviation was less than 152μm/s, the mean error was less than 183μm/s, the relative error of the mean value of speed measurement does not exceed 0.22%, and the standard deviation of the distance measurement results within a range of 4m under various speed conditions does not exceed 17μm, the error does not exceed 14μm, it has good accuracy and repeatability for the speed and distance measurement. The lidar architecture solution we proposed has important application value for large-scale industrial equipment measurement and operation monitoring.

We demonstrate a closed-loop Electro-Optical Phase-Locked Loop (EO-PLL) designed to increase the linearity of frequency chirps in Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) LiDAR systems, resulting in improved metrological accuracy. The system is fully implemented on an easily accessible FPGA-based digital electronic platform (Red Pitaya STEMlab 125-14). A PC-based UI was developed to facilitate remote real-time control over key system parameters. The proposed closed-loop control reduces the Full-Width Half Maximum (FWHM) in frequency domain to 11 kHz, corresponding to a range resolution of 19.9 mm at a beat frequency of 2.45 MHz. Additionally, the system effectively suppresses disturbances in the modulation signal for frequencies up to 150 kHz, with stabilization settling within a single modulation period. This approach enables the use of lasers with nonlinear modulation slopes in FMCW LiDAR applications, even under fluctuating ambient conditions.

This work presents a novel scheme for a 4-dimensional (D) frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LiDAR, which demonstrates an unprecedentedly high velocity sensitivity. This is achieved by utilizing the driving waveform to minimize the phase noise originating from the distributed feedback (DFB) laser during the wavelength sweeping process on the transmitting side, while on the receiving end, we use a combination of a self-injection-locked oscillator (SILO) and an avalanche photodiode (APD) with a cascaded multiplication layer, to ensure excellent responsivity and saturation current performance. Comparison is made with a reference LiDAR system comprised of the traditional radio-frequency (RF) oscillator with a p-i-n PD at the receiving-end. The results show that our SILO + APD design provides much better quality 4-D images of slow-moving objects (5 μm/sec) and state-of-the-art velocity sensitivity. This can be attributed to a reduction in the phase noise of the down-converted baseband signals, which is beneficial to the resolution of a small Doppler frequency shift. Furthermore, the incorporation of a high-performance APD also improves the contrast ratio between the object and the background pixels. These improvements offer new possibilities for the development of the next generation of 4-D FMCW LiDARs capable of simultaneously providing the absolute 3-D geometric size and small vibration information.

The femtosecond laser has emerged as a powerful tool for micro- and nanoscale device fabrication. Through nonlinear ionization processes, nanometer-sized material modifications can be inscribed in transparent materials for device fabrication. This paper describes femtosecond precision inscription of nanograting in silica fiber cores to form both distributed and point fiber sensors for sensing applications in extreme environmental conditions. Through the use of scanning electron microscope imaging and laser processing optimization, high-temperature stable, Type II femtosecond laser modifications were continuously inscribed, point by point, with only an insertion loss at 1 dB m−1 or 0.001 dB per point sensor device. High-temperature performance of fiber sensors was tested at 1000 °C, which showed a temperature fluctuation of ±5.5 °C over 5 days. The low laser-induced insertion loss in optical fibers enabled the fabrication of a 1.4 m, radiation-resilient distributed fiber sensor. The in-pile testing of the distributed fiber sensor further showed that fiber sensors can execute stable and distributed temperature measurements in extreme radiation environments. Overall, this paper demonstrates that femtosecond-laser-fabricated fiber sensors are suitable measurement devices for applications in extreme environments.

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">In pursuit of safety validation of automated driving functions, efforts are being made to accompany real world test drives by test drives in virtual environments. To be able to transfer highly automated driving functions into a simulation, models of the vehicle’s perception sensors such as lidar, radar and camera are required. In addition to the classic pulsed time-of-flight (ToF) lidars, the growing availability of commercial frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) lidars sparks interest in the field of environment perception. This is due to advanced capabilities such as directly measuring the target’s relative radial velocity based on the Doppler effect. In this work, an FMCW lidar sensor simulation model is introduced, which is divided into the components of signal propagation and signal processing. The signal propagation is modeled by a ray tracing approach simulating the interaction of light waves with the environment. For this purpose, an ASAM Open Simulation Interface (OSI) object list referencing virtual 3D objects provides the input for the ray tracer. The divergence of the continuous laser beam is approximated by super-sampling the beam with multiple rays, the calculation of the received power is supported by the future ASAM OpenMATERIAL standard. Subsequently, the output of the ray tracer serves as the input of the signal processing that adapts the so-called Fourier tracing from the field of radar sensor simulation. This approach uses the range and velocity information of the individual rays to estimate the frequency spectrum of the intermediate frequency signal. A subsequent peak detection algorithm determines the output of the model, which is provided in the form of OSI lidar detections. Verification scenarios are tested to check the plausibility of the output and the source code of the signal processing is made available as open source.</div></div>

To improve the accuracy of signal recognition in delay-based optical reservoir computing (RC) systems, this paper proposes the use of nonlinear algorithms at the output layer to replace traditional linear algorithms for training and testing datasets and apply them to the identification of frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LiDAR signals. This marks the inaugural use of the system for the identification of FMCW LiDAR signals. We elaborate on the fundamental principles of a delay-based optical RC system using an optical-injected distributed feedback laser (DFB) laser and discriminate four FMCW LiDAR signals through this setup. In the output layer, three distinct training algorithms—namely linear regression, support vector machine (SVM), and random forest—were employed to train the optical reservoir. Upon analyzing the experimental results, it was found that regardless of the size of the dataset, the recognition accuracy of the two nonlinear training algorithms was superior to that of the linear regression algorithm. Among the two nonlinear algorithms, the Random Forest algorithm had a higher recognition accuracy than SVM when the sample size was relatively small.

Taking the increasing issue of electromagnetic waves (EMW) pollution and the necessity for applications in extreme environments, there is a pressing requirement to create multifunctional microwave absorption materials (MAMs) to meet the current challenges. In this work, we achieved the successful combination of MXene sheets and metal organic framework (MOFs) derived CoNi@C magnetic alloys onto the three-dimensional (3D) melamine foam (MF) skeleton using vacuum impregnation and electrostatic self-assembly techniques. The obtained MF@MXene/CoNi@C composite foams achieved outstanding MA performance, with an optimal reflection loss (RL) value of –24.1 dB and a maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.88 GHz at a thickness of 1.68 mm, effectively covering the whole Ku band. The superior MA performance is ascribed to the composite foams’ multi-component architecture, distinctive 3D porous structure, and the synergistic impact of multiple loss mechanisms. Moreover, the MF@MXene/CoNi@C composite foams demonstrate exceptional photothermal conversion, thermal insulation, and infrared stealth capabilities, effectively coping with the demands of applications in extreme environments. This work serves as a valuable resource and source of inspiration for the development of lightweight-broadband, multifunctional efficient MAMs.

Ultra-light, ultra-resilient and ultra-flexible, multifunctional composite carbon nanofiber aerogel for physiological signal monitoring and hazard warning in extreme environments

Frequency tuning nonlinearities in semiconductor lasers constitute a critical factor that degrades measurement precision and spectral resolution in frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) LiDAR systems. This study systematically investigates the influence of nonlinear beat signal phase distortions on spectral peak broadening and develops a phase-fitting-based pre-correction algorithm. To further enhance system performance, an electro-optic phase-locked loop architecture combined with non-uniform discrete Fourier transform signal processing is implemented, establishing a comprehensive solution for tuning nonlinearity suppression. Experimental validation demonstrates a sub-18 µm standard deviation in absolute distance measurements at a 19 m target range. This integrated approach represents a significant advancement in coherent frequency-sweep detection methodologies, offering considerable potential for high-precision photonic radar applications.

Frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) LiDAR systems are drawing increasing interest due to their potential applications in autonomous driving, machine perception, rapid prototyping, and medical diagnostics. The nonlinearity of a laser’s input-output transfer function can degrade the performance of an FMCW LiDAR. However, traditional discrete-time electro-optical phase-locked loops (DT-EOPLLs) face an unfavorable trade-off between chirp bandwidth and Mach-Zehnder delay. We present an integrated continuous-time electro-optic phase-locked loop (CT-EOPLL) to address this problem. The proposed EOPLL is very wideband, with its loop bandwidth equal to its reference frequency. This feature enables it to relax the trade-off between chirp bandwidth and Mach-Zehnder (MZ) delay by 10× in dB scale, which consequently reduces the area and loss associated with the silicon photonic delay implementation. It also does not suffer from the challenging issue of spurs in wideband PLLs because it features image and harmonic spur suppression in the loop using single-sideband (SSB) and harmonic-reject (HR) mixing techniques. The electrical part of this EOPLL is implemented in 65nm CMOS technology, and its optical integrated circuit is fabricated using a silicon photonic process. Featuring more than 25dB of suppression of the highest spur, this EOPLL is utilized in a high precision LiDAR sensor that shows an RMS depth precision of 558μm at 2m distance, and a 9.4mm RMS depth resolution at ranges exceeding 3.3m.

Fabrication of boron carbide ceramics reinforced with silicon carbide fibers

MAX‐phase ceramics uniquely combine ceramic and metallic properties, making them ideal for high‐temperature and structural applications. In this study, first‐principle calculations were employed to investigate the stability, properties, and applications of ternary layered ceramic M 4 GaC 3 (M = Ti, Zr, and Hf) within the MAX‐phase family. Structural analysis confirmed the stability of the α‐polymorph, while phonon dispersion and elastic constant analyses revealed strong covalent bonding and mechanical strength, underscoring their suitability for high‐stress environments. The materials exhibited pronounced anisotropic mechanical behaviour, particularly under high pressure, further highlighting their resilience in extreme conditions. Low thermal conductivity and elevated melting points suggested their potential as thermal barrier coatings. Electronic structure examination demonstrated metallic behaviour, characterized by strong hybridization between d ‐states of transition metals and p ‐states of Ga/C. Optical analyses indicated high reflectivity in the infrared and visible ranges, along with strong ultraviolet (UV) absorption, positioning these materials as promising candidates for optical coatings and UV photodetectors. Overall, α‐M 4 GaC 3 MAX‐phases exhibited exceptional mechanical strength, thermal robustness, and unique electronic/optical properties, making them viable for aerospace, automotive, and energy applications in extreme environments.

Bioinspired tough, anti-freezing, and anti-drying organohydrogel via photocurable 3D printing for flexible electronics.