System for true thermal-light applications

• US 10,190,916 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2017
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: US Department of Energy (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: US Department of Energy (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Adams, Bernhard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John
• Application Number:
  US15/418,047
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00 Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof

Abstract

A system for type-2 ghost imaging of an object located in or obstructed by a turbulent air section includes a thermal light source, a beamsplitter configured to split light from the thermal light source into two optical paths of substantially equal length, a surface divided into two regions of equal area, a first region including the object and a second region that does not include the object, a narrowband spectral filter, and at least one detector having a predetermined spatial resolution and a predetermined temporal resolution. The object is located on one side of the turbulent air section and the at least one detector is located on another side of the turbulent air section. The at least one detector may be a large area picosecond photo-detector (LAPPD) having a spatial resolution of the order of millimeters and a temporal resolution of the order of 10 to 100 picoseconds.

Claims

1. A system for type-2 ghost imaging of an object located in a turbulent air section or obstructed by a turbulent air section, the system comprising:

a true thermal light source emitting light, the light travelling in a first optical path;

a beamsplitter optically connected to the true thermal light source, the beamsplitter configured to split the first optical path into a second and third optical path of substantially equal lengths;

a surface optically connected to either the second or third optical path, the object optically connected to the remaining optical path;

a narrowband spectral filter; and

at least one detector optically connected to both the second and third optical path, the at least one detector having a predetermined spatial resolution and a predetermined temporal resolution,

wherein the object is located on one side of the turbulent air section and the at least one detector is located on another side of the turbulent air section.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined spatial resolution is of the order of millimeters and the predetermined temporal resolution is of the order of picoseconds.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the true thermal light source is point-like.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the true thermal light source is not a laser.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the true thermal light source comprises light from a sun, light from a light bulb, or light from a star.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one detector comprises a microchannel plate-based detector.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one detector comprises a non-microchannel-based detector.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined spatial resolution is at least 16×

16 pixels.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined spatial resolution is at least 32×

32 pixels.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined spatial resolution is at least 100×

100 pixels.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined spatial resolution is at least 400×

400 pixels.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined temporal resolution is in the picosecond range.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one detector comprises a large area picosecond photo-detector (LAPPD) having a spatial resolution of the order of millimeters and a temporal resolution of the order of 10 to 100 picoseconds.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein a first half of the at least one detector is configured to function as a bucket detector that collects and counts photons scattered and reflected from the object in the first region, and a second half of the same detector is configured to function as an imaging detector that captures reference spatial information of reflected light from the second region.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes exactly two detectors, a first detector configured to function as a bucket detector that collects and counts photons scattered and reflected from the object in the first region, the first detector optically connected to either the second or third optical path, and a second detector configured to function as an imaging detector that captures reference spatial information of reflected light from the second region, the second detector optically connected to the remaining optical path.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein both the first detector and the second detector are a large area picosecond photo-detector (LAPPD) having a spatial resolution of the order of millimeters and a temporal resolution of the order of 10 to 100 picoseconds.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein both the first detector and the second detector are a large area picosecond photo-detector (LAPPD) having a spatial resolution of the order of millimeters and a temporal resolution of the order of 10 to 100 picoseconds.