According to a study published in Nature Communications, an international research team, including the Photonics Research Labs-iTEAM at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), has created a new technology that improves the accuracy of radar applications and LiDAR systems.
Image Credit: Universitat Politècnica de València
It has the potential to help implement autonomous vehicles and optimize environmental monitoring. The Semiconductor Institute (CAS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT), the Air Force Early Warning Academy (Wuhan, China), and the University of Ottawa (Canada) have all contributed to its development.
A team of researchers from Spain, China, and Canada offers a time-symmetry concept known as parity-time (PT) symmetry applied to frequency-swept systems. Their idea allows them to lower the linewidth of generated waves by up to 14 times, resulting in more stable and precise signals than those obtained with current techniques.
Autonomous Transport, Environmental Monitoring
Autonomous transportation is one area where this technology has the potential to have an immediate impact.
LiDAR systems are essential for navigation and obstacle detection in these vehicles. 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.
José Capmany, Study Co-Author and Director, Photonics Research Labs-iTEAM, Universitat Politècnica de València
The technology created by the team from the UPV, BUPT, the CAS Institute, the Air Force Early Warning Academy, and the University of Ottawa will enhance 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. 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.
Ming Li, Professor, Beijing Semiconductor Institute
University Security and Communications
Another benefit of this method is that it enables considerably more accurate discrimination of targets at various distances.
Ming Li added, “This is especially useful for surveillance applications, where high accuracy is required in identifying and tracking multiple objects simultaneously.”
It would also aid in improving interference-free data transmission in the communications industry.
“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,” concluded Jose Capmany.
Journal Reference:
Li, M., et. al. (2024) Time-variant parity-time symmetry in frequency-scanning systems. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52958-3