title: Kilometer-range, high resolution depth imaging via 1560 nm wavelength single-photon detection.
abstract: This paper highlights a significant advance in time-of-flight depth imaging: by using a scanning transceiver which incorporated a free-running, low noise superconducting nanowire single-photon detector, we were able to obtain centimeter resolution depth images of low-signature objects in daylight at stand-off distances of the order of one kilometer at the relatively eye-safe wavelength of 1560 nm. The detector used had an efficiency of 18% at 1 kHz dark count rate, and the overall system jitter was ~100 ps. The depth images were acquired by illuminating the scene with an optical output power level of less than 250 µW average, and using per-pixel dwell times in the millisecond regime.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, and Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA), School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK. A.McCarthy@hw.ac.uk
authors.forename: Aongus
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: Nils J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Krichel
authors.forename: Nathan R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Gemmell
authors.forename: Ximing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Tanner
authors.forename: Sander N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Dorenbos
authors.forename: Val
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zwiller
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Hadfield
authors.forename: Gerald S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Buller
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010783:Photometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017785:Photons; D013685:Telecommunications / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014159:Transducers