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Because ranging is not achieved by laser modulation, the laser can be chosen as a continuous wave laser enabling much greater flexibility in system design for greater efficiency and lower cost. The sensor provides continuous coverage without gaps and has been demonstrated in detection while scanning. Instead of using custom high-bandwidth detectors, ranging is measured in the spatial domain at a camera image plane. The sensor technology has no range ambiguity constraints as typically result in high pulse-rate LIDAR systems often used for rapid large area coverage. Areté has demonstrated a bistatic version of the sensing approach with separate transmitter and receiver scanners sharing a common rotational axis and with an event camera imager. An event camera at the image plane, and appropriate signal processing, reduces sensitivity to solar background. Because of the technologies compatibility with narrow linewidth CW lasers, it is expected to also have additional utility for detection of chemical agent dispersals as well as low-SWaP vertical profiling DiAL systems for atmospheric monitoring. |
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