Main > Photonics Research >  Volume 8 >  Issue 9 >  Page 09001532 > Article
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Accepted: Jul. 12, 2020

Posted: Jul. 13, 2020

Published Online: Sep. 3, 2020

The Author Email: Feihu Xu (feihuxu@ustc.edu.cn)

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Zheng-Ping Li, Xin Huang, Yuan Cao, Bin Wang, Yu-Huai Li, Weijie Jin, Chao Yu, Jun Zhang, Qiang Zhang, Cheng-Zhi Peng, Feihu Xu, Jian-Wei Pan. Single-photon computational 3D imaging at 45 km[J]. Photonics Research, 2020, 8(9): 09001532

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## Abstract

Single-photon light detection and ranging (lidar) offers single-photon sensitivity and picosecond timing resolution, which is desirable for high-precision three-dimensional (3D) imaging over long distances. Despite important progress, further extending the imaging range presents enormous challenges because only a few echo photons return and are mixed with strong noise. Here, we tackled these challenges by constructing a high-efficiency, low-noise coaxial single-photon lidar system and developing a long-range-tailored computational algorithm that provides high photon efficiency and good noise tolerance. Using this technique, we experimentally demonstrated active single-photon 3D imaging at a distance of up to 45 km in an urban environment, with a low return-signal level of $～1$ photon per pixel. Our system is feasible for imaging at a few hundreds of kilometers by refining the setup, and thus represents a step towards low-power and high-resolution lidar over extra-long ranges.