We are delighted to announce that Dr Yuanli Yue, a recent PhD graduate from the Photonics Lab at the University of Kent, has published a new research paper in the prestigious Journal of Lightwave Technology (JLT).
The paper presents an innovative approach that combines frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) LiDAR with photonic reservoir computing (PRC) to enable intelligent processing of optical ranging data. FMCW LiDAR is a promising technology for applications such as autonomous vehicles, robotics, and environmental monitoring, offering high-precision distance and velocity measurements. However, processing the large volume of data generated by LiDAR systems remains a significant challenge.
In this work, the authors demonstrate how photonic reservoir computing can be used to efficiently process FMCW LiDAR signals, exploiting the intrinsic dynamics of photonic systems to perform computational tasks directly in hardware. By integrating sensing and computing functionalities, the proposed approach has the potential to reduce processing complexity while maintaining high performance for real-time applications.
The research forms part of Dr Yue’s PhD studies on photonic reservoir computing for high-throughput optical systems, conducted under the supervision of Dr Chao Wang in the Photonics Lab. The work contributes to the growing field of optical intelligent computing, where photonic hardware is used not only for sensing and communication but also for information processing and machine learning.
This publication further strengthens the Photonics Lab’s research activities in:
- Photonic reservoir computing and optical intelligent systems
- Microwave photonics and optical signal processing
- LiDAR and advanced sensing technologies
- High-speed photonic information processing
Publication
Y. Yue et al., “Photonic Reservoir Computing Assisted FMCW LiDAR for Intelligent Optical Sensing”, Journal of Lightwave Technology, 44(11), 4414-4422 (2026).
Read the paper:
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/11460217