Optical Ranging Using Coherent Kerr Soliton Dual-microcombs with Extended Ambiguity Distance

Abstract

Optical ranging is a key technology in metrology. Optical frequency combs are shown to provide several advantages in light ranging, offering high precision with high acquisition rate. However, performance of traditional ranging systems based on microcombs is limited by the short ambiguity distance and non-real-time processing. Here, we show that dual-comb ranging system using coherent Kerr soliton microcombs and optical switch realizes extended ambiguity distance and provides a route to real-time processing. The ambguity distance is extended to 3.28 m from about 1.5 mm and the uncertainty reaches about 1.05 times 10^-7, while the system is compatible with low-bandwidth detectors. Combining coherent microcomb ranging systems with special FPGA could enable comb-based real-time ranging systems for several applications such as industrial process monitoring.