Photon‐Counting 3D Velocimetry Empowered by OAM‐Based Multi‐Point Doppler Effect

Abstract

AbstractVelocimetry of a motion target within 3‐D space is highly desirable in numerous applicable realms, ranging from explosion and shock wave physics, aerospace engineering to astronomical surveys. However, it is challenging to achieve synchronous, real‐time, and photon‐counting 3‐D velocimetry in modern frameworks as they either require separate multi‐directional detections, and cumbersome calculation processes or are confined to achieve in situ measurements. Here, a new conceptual paradigm is proposed to circumvent these constraints using orbital‐angular‐momentum (OAM)‐driven multi‐point Doppler effect at the photon‐counting level. This scheme, emanating from a single‐direction launch of an on‐demand engineered sequence OAM light mode onto a motion surface, enables simultaneous and independent detections of time‐varying Doppler photon‐count events from three orthogonal echo light paths. Concretely, at the range of motion velocity of 0.25–0.5 ms−1, the relative measurement errors of this proof‐of‐principle prototype are below 1.5%, thus achieving high‐accuracy 3‐D velocimetry at the photon‐counting level for the first time. The exploration of the OAM‐photon‐counting 3‐D velocimetry techniques provides unprecedented advantages in potential applications of synchronous, real‐time, high‐efficiency, and long‐range quantum lidar.