Coherent Optical Modems for Full-Wavefield Lidar

The advent of the digital age has driven the development of coherent optical modems -- devices that modulate the amplitude and phase of light in multiple polarization states. These modems transmit data through fiber optic cables that are thousands of kilometers in length at data rates exceeding one terabit per second. This remarkable technology is made possible through near-THz-rate programmable control and sensing of the full optical wavefield. While coherent optical modems form the backbone of telecommunications networks around the world, their extraordinary capabilities also provide unique opportunities for imaging. Here, we introduce full-wavefield lidar: a new imaging modality that repurposes off-the-shelf coherent optical modems to simultaneously measure distance, axial velocity, and polarization. We demonstrate this modality by combining a 74 GHz-bandwidth coherent optical modem with free-space coupling optics and scanning mirrors. We develop a time-resolved image formation model for this system and formulate a maximum-likelihood reconstruction algorithm to recover depth, velocity, and polarization information at each scene point from the modem's raw transmitted and received symbols. Compared to existing lidars, full-wavefield lidar promises improved mm-scale ranging accuracy from brief, microsecond exposure times, reliable velocimetry, and robustness to intererence from ambient light or other lidar signals.