Fiber Scanning Array for 3 Dimensional Topographic Imaging

We report on the design and development of a fiber optic scanning 3-D LIDAR employing a switched fiber array. This design distributes ns length laser pulses over a sample field, collects the return pulses, and assembles them into a 3-D image. This instrument is a reduced size version consisting of 35 beams, and will serve as a proof-of-principle demonstration for a planned 1000 beam instrument for Earth and planetary topographical missions