A collaborative team from the University of Science and Technology of China, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences successfully demonstrated “Active Optical Intensity Interferometry.” This technique enabled them to image 8-millimeter-wide reflective targets from 1.36 kilometers away with a resolution of 3 millimeters—significantly surpassing the 42-millimeter resolution achievable by a single telescope alone.
Furthermore, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Aerospace Information Research Institute developed a synthetic aperture lidar (SAL) system capable of detecting objects as small as 1.7 millimeters from over 100 kilometers away. In tests conducted across Qinghai Lake, the system achieved millimeter-level resolution, potentially allowing for the identification of fine details, such as human facial features, from low-Earth orbit.
These breakthroughs hold significant implications for long-range surveillance, remote sensing, and space observation, marking a substantial advancement in optical imaging technology.
