Long-Range and Dead-Zone-Free Dual-Comb Ranging for the Interferometric Tracking of Moving Targets

Abstract

Dual-comb ranging has emerged as an effective technology for long-distance metrology, providing absolute distance measurements with high speed, precision, and accuracy. Here, we demonstrate a dual-comb ranging method that utilizes a free-space transceiver unit, enabling dead-zone-free measurements and simultaneous ranging with interchanged comb roles to allow for long-distance measurements, even when the target is moving. It includes a graphics processing unit (GPU)-accelerated algorithm for real-time signal processing and a free-running single-cavity solid-state dual-comb laser with a carrier wavelength λ_c ≈ 1055 nm, a pulse repetition rate of 1 GHz, and a repetition rate difference of 5.06 kHz. This combination offers a fast update rate and sufficient signal strength to reach a single-shot time-of-flight precision of around 0.1 μm (i.e., <λ_c/4) on a cooperative target placed at a distance of more than 40 m. The free-running laser is sufficiently stable to use the phase information for interferometric distance measurements, which improves the single-shot precision to <20 nm. To assess the ranging accuracy, we track the motion of the cooperative target when moved over 40 m and compare it to a reference interferometer. The residuals between the two measurements are below 3 μm. These results highlight the potential of this approach for accurate and dead-zone-free long-distance ranging, supporting real-time tracking with nm-level precision.