Computational ghost imaging versus imaging laser radar for three-dimensional imaging

Ghost imaging has been receiving increasing interest for possible use as a remote-sensing system. There has been little comparison, however, between ghost imaging and the imaging laser radars with which it would be competing. Toward that end, this paper presents a performance comparison between a pulsed, computational ghost imager and a pulsed, floodlight-illumination imaging laser radar. Both are considered for range-resolving (three-dimensional) imaging of a collection of rough-surfaced objects at standoff ranges in the presence of atmospheric turbulence. Their spatial resolutions and signal-to-noise ratios are evaluated as functions of the system parameters, and these results are used to assess each system's performance tradeoffs. Scenarios in which a reflective ghost-imaging system has advantages over a laser radar are identified.