Underwater Chaotic Lidar using Blue Laser Diodes

The thesis proposes and explores an underwater lidar system architecture based on chaotic modulation of recently introduced, commercially available, low cost blue laser diodes. This approach is experimentally shown to allow accurate underwater impulse response measurements while eliminating the need for several major components typically found in high-performance underwater lidar systems.;The proposed approach is to: 1. Generate wideband, noise-like intensity modulation signals using optical chaotic modulation of blue-green laser diodes, and then 2. Use this signal source to develop an underwater chaotic lidar system that uses no electrical signal generator, no electro-optic modulator, no optical frequency doubler, and no large-aperture photodetector.;The outcome of this thesis is the demonstration of a new underwater lidar system architecture that could allow high resolution ranging, imaging, and water profiling measurements in turbid water, at a reduced size, weight, power and cost relative to state-of-the-art high-performance underwater lidar sensors. This work also makes contributions to the state of the art in optics, nonlinear dynamics, and underwater sensing by demonstrating for the first time: 1. Wideband noise-like intensity modulation of a blue laser diode using no electrical signal generator or electro-optic modulator. Optical chaotic modulation of a 462 nm blue InGaN laser diode by self-feedback is explored for the first time. The usefulness of the signal to chaotic lidar is evaluated in terms of bandwidth, modulation depth, and autocorrelation peak-to-sidelobe-ratio (PSLR) using both computer and laboratory experiments. In laboratory experiments, the optical feedback technique is shown to be effective in generating wideband, noise-like chaotic signals with strong modulation depth when the diode is operated in an external-cavity dominated state. The modulation signal strength is shown to be limited by the onset of lasing within the diode's internal cavity. The possibility of overcoming this limit by increasing optical feedback strength is discussed. 2. Power scaling in the blue-green spectrum using no optical frequency doubler. Synchronization of two 462 nm blue InGaN laser diodes by bi-directional optical injection is demonstrated for the first time in laboratory experiments. The improvement in chaotic intensity modulation signal strength is demonstrated to be 2.5x over the single-diode case. The signal strength is again shown to be limited by the onset of internal cavity lasing. The synchronized-laser arrangement is shown to be theoretically equivalent to a single-diode scenario in which the optical feedback is amplified by 2x, supporting the idea that increased optical feedback strength can be used to scale optical chaotic modulation of InGaN diodes to high powers. 3. Underwater impulse response measurements using a calibrated chaotic lidar system. An underwater chaotic lidar system using two synchronized diodes as transmitters is demonstrated in laboratory experiments for the first time. Reflective impulse response measurements using the lidar system are made in free space, and in a variety of clear and turbid water conditions, using a quasi-monostatic (i.e. co-located transmitter and receiver) arrangement. A calibration routine is implemented that increases accuracy and instantaneous dynamic range of the impulse response measurement, resulting in a baseline temporal resolution of 750 ps and a PSLR of over 10 dB. The calibrated system is shown to be able to simultaneously measure localized and distributed reflections, and to allow separation of the localized ( i.e. surface and target) reflections from the distributed ( i.e. backscatter) returns in several domains. Accurate range measurement with sub-inch typical error is demonstrated in laboratory water tank tests, which show accurate measurement through >6 feet of turbid water, as limited by the experimental water tank setup. Strong performance to the limit of the setup is shown at dwell times down to 1 mus. 4. Range measurement through turbid water using no large-aperture photodetector. The possibility of using a synchronized optical receiver to make range measurements through an attenuating channel (i.e. turbid water) is tested using two InGaN diodes for the first time. Using a variable optical attenuator to simulate channel attenuation, synchronization is maintained through 30 dB channel attenuation in the current experimental setup. Distance measurements are demonstrated by using the output of only one of the two diodes, suggesting that this method could be used to measure distance between two bi-static (i.e. physically separated), cooperative chaotic lidar systems in some water conditions.;This thesis concludes that the proposed approach is a feasible path to a novel high resolution underwater lidar sensor capable of operating in turbid water, which would have significant size, weight, power, and cost reductions because it would not use an electrical signal generator, an electro-optic modulator, or an optical frequency doubler. The work also suggests the possibility of range measurement in a limited range of water conditions using no large-aperture photodetector, most feasibly in a bi-static cooperative arrangement.