Improving accuracy of radar and LiDAR

An international research team has developed a new technology that helps to improve the accuracy of radar applications and LiDAR systems. Among its possible uses, it could contribute to implementing autonomous cars and optimising environmental monitoring.

In the study published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers from Spain, China and Canada present a time-symmetry concept called parity-time (PT) symmetry, which is applied to frequency-swept systems. Their proposal makes it possible to reduce the linewidth of the generated waves by up to 14 times, thus obtaining more stable and precise signals than those obtained with conventional systems.

One of the areas where this technology could have an immediate impact is autonomous transport, noted José Capmany — Director of Universitat Politècnica de València’s (UPV) Photonics Research Labs-iTEAM and co-author of the study.

“LiDAR systems are essential for navigation and obstacle detection in these vehicles,” Capmany said. “With our technology, by increasing their precision, they will be able to identify and respond to their environment more quickly and accurately, which would contribute to their development and implementation on a global scale.”

In addition, the technology developed by the team will improve environmental surveillance and monitoring.

“These advanced radar systems will help to conduct more detailed studies of the environment and respond more efficiently to environmental emergencies,” said Ming Li, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences. “It will facilitate the tracking of moving objects and the detection and monitoring of environmental changes, such as weather patterns or wildlife tracking in hard-to-reach areas.”

Another advantage of this system is that it allows much more accurate discrimination of targets at different distances. According to Li, “This is especially useful for surveillance applications, where high accuracy is required in identifying and tracking multiple objects simultaneously.”

Finally, in the communications field, it will help improve interference-free data transmission.

“Reduced linewidth radar and LiDAR systems can be integrated into advanced communication infrastructures, where signal stability and accuracy are essential to avoid any kind of transmission interference — and this is what we achieve with our technology,” Capmany concluded.

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