• Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves
  • Vol. 42, Issue 1, 88 (2023)
Yu-Yan XIANG1, Yue MA1, Gao-Feng GUO2, Quan JING2, and Song LI1、3、*
Author Affiliations
  • 1School of Electronic Information,Wuhan University,Wuhan 430072,China
  • 2China Academy of Space Technology,Beijing 100098,China
  • 3Wuhan Institute of Quantum Technology,Wuhan 430010,China
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    DOI: 10.11972/j.issn.1001-9014.2023.01.012 Cite this Article
    Yu-Yan XIANG, Yue MA, Gao-Feng GUO, Quan JING, Song LI. The photon detection mode of photomultiplier tubes considering the pulse height distribution[J]. Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves, 2023, 42(1): 88 Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    Photomultiplier tubes (PMT) have unique advantages in photon-counting LIDAR applications due to its photon-level sensitivity and lack of photon detection dead time. However, the output pulse height of PMT responds to the single photon follows the Gaussian random distribution, and there may produce pile up between different pulses. When using the fixed threshold method to identify the photo-events, the traditional single photon model can not accurately describe the photon detection process of PMT. By analyzing the influence of PMT output pulse height distribution, pulse pile up and the amplitude of photo-event discrimination threshold on the photo-events detection probability, a new PMT photon detection theoretical model was built, and the mode was simplified according to the practical application scene. The applicability of the simplified model was verified by Monte Carlo simulation. The correlation characteristics of the new model in photon-counting ranging are analyzed. A photon-counting LIDAR system is built, compared with Geiger mode APD, the PMT photon detection model has a slight loss of photon detection probability, but it has a smaller ranging walking error and higher ranging accuracy in photon-counting ranging applications. The experiment also proves that the new model is more consistent with the photo-event detection probability of PMT than the traditional single photon detection model. The new model has important guiding significance for the system design and theoretical analysis of PMT photon-counting LIDAR.
    Yu-Yan XIANG, Yue MA, Gao-Feng GUO, Quan JING, Song LI. The photon detection mode of photomultiplier tubes considering the pulse height distribution[J]. Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves, 2023, 42(1): 88
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