Discriminative remote sensing and surface profiling based on superradiant photonic backscattering

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10819081-B2
Application number	US-202016741507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2020
Priority date	Aug 11, 2016
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for remote sensing, surface profiling, object identification, and aiming based on two-photon population inversion and subsequent photon backscattering enhanced by superradiance using two co-propagating pump waves. The present disclosure enables efficient and highly-directional photon backscattering by generating the pump waves in properly pulsed time-frequency modes, proper spatial modes, with proper group-velocity difference in air. The pump waves are relatively delayed in a tunable pulse delay device and launched to free space along a desirable direction using a laser-pointing device. When the pump waves overlap in air, signal photons will be created through two-photon driven superradiant backscattering if target gas molecules are present. The backscattered signal photons propagate back, picked using optical filters, and detected. By scanning the relative delay and the launching direction while the signal photons are detected, three-dimensional information of target objects is acquired remotely.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for remote scanning, comprising the steps of:
determining wave properties, including shaped time-frequency modes, spatial modes, and group velocity difference, for achieving backscattering with respect to a specific gaseous molecule;
generating co-propagating pulsed pump waves having said shaped time-frequency modes, said spatial modes, and said group-velocity difference;
relatively delaying said pump waves for a predetermined time period;
launching said pump waves to a free space along a predetermined direction;
backscattering a signal wave having backscattered signal photons when said pump waves overlap in said free space;
detecting said backscattered signal photons; and
scanning said predetermined direction of said launched pump waves and said time period of the relative delay of said pump waves to remotely obtain three-dimensional information of a target.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said target is said specific type of gaseous molecule.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising the step of storing said three-dimensional information.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising the step of repeating the method of claim 3 for a different specific type of gaseous molecule, thereby obtaining multi-faceted information on various specific types of gaseous molecules.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising the step of generating a 3D tomogram based on said multi-faceted information.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein a second pulse of said co-propagating pulsed pump waves has an intensity of from about 10 KW/m ∧2 to about 100 MW/m ∧2, such that Rabi oscillations are effected in said target.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said detecting step further comprises the steps of monitoring said backscattered signal photons for sudden decreases; determining, through negative imaging, coordinates of a detected object; and creating a corresponding surface profile of said detected object.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said detected object is a stealth object.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said co-propagating pulsed pump waves are self-deflecting, thereby propagating in a curved trajectory.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said co-propagating pulsed pump waves are Airy beams.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of simulating the trajectory of a bullet by modulating said Airy beams such that said Airy beams follow a parabolic propagation that is coincident with that of bullets in air due to gravitation.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said scanning step is conducted utilizing the chromatic dispersion of Earth's atmosphere.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said shaped time-frequency modes, said spatial modes, and said group-velocity difference of said co-propagating pulse pump waves are modulated such that a superradiant photonic backscattering effect is maximized during said backscattering step.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein each pump wave of said co-propagating pulsed pump waves has a different wave number.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein a first pulse of said co-propagating pulsed pump waves has more energy than said superradiant photonic signal.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein said co-propagating pulsed pump waves have a spectral band of from about 0.1 THz to about 10 THz.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining step further comprises the steps of formulating proposed waveforms and testing said proposed waveforms.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said generating step is performed through line-by-line modulation of comb lines via a Global Searching Algorithm.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein said formulating step is performed via recursive steps, starting with initial waveforms and randomly changing the amplitude and phase of comb lines, said comb lines constituting said proposed waveforms.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein said testing step is performed via real-time evaluation of said proposed waveforms, said evaluation comprising the steps of generating a test laser having said proposed waveforms, passing said test laser through a reference gas sample;
and measuring the excitation of said reference gas sample.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein said testing step is performed numerically by solving level transition dynamics.

22. The method of claim 17 , wherein said formulating step and said testing step are conducted using global numeric optimization.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein each pump wave of said co-propagating pulsed pump waves has the same propagation speed.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein said detecting step is performed by a mode-resolving photon detector.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein said detecting step is performed by a sensitive photon detector.

Assignees

• Stevens Institute Of Technology

Inventors

• Huang Yuping

Classifications

• H01S3/06758

  Tandem amplifiers · CPC title

• G01S17/95

  for meteorological use · CPC title

• H01S3/0057

  Temporal shaping, e.g. pulse compression, frequency chirping (soliton generation and propagation G02F1/3513, H01S3/063 and H01S3/108) · CPC title

• G01S17/00

  Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems · CPC title

• H01S3/305

  in a gas · CPC title