Detailed and accurate 3D mapping of dynamic environments is essential for machines to interface with their surroundings1-3 and for human-machine interaction4,5. Although considerable effort has been made to create the equivalent of the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor for the 3D world, scalable, high-performance, reliable solutions have proven elusive6-11. Focal plane array (FPA) sensors using frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) have shown potential to meet all of these requirements and also provide direct measurement of radial velocity as a fourth dimension. Previous demonstrations12,13, although promising, have not achieved the simultaneous scale and performance required by commercial applications. Here we present a large-scale, coherent LiDAR FPA enabled by comprehensive chip-scale optoelectronic integration. A 4D imaging camera is built around the FPA and used to acquire point clouds. At the core is a 352 × 176-pixel 2D FMCW LiDAR FPA comprising more than 0.6 million photonic components, all integrated on-chip together with their associated electronics. This represents a five times increase in pixel count with respect to previous demonstrations12. The pixel architecture combines the outbound and inbound optical paths within the pixel in a monostatic configuration, together with coherent detectors and electronics. Frequency-modulated light is directed sequentially to groups of pixels by in-plane thermo-optic switches with integrated electronics for driving and calibration. An integrated serial digital interface controls both optical switching and readout synchronously. Point clouds of objects ranging from 4 to 65 m with per-pixel integration time compatible with frame rates from 3 to 15 frames per second (fps) are shown. This result demonstrates the capabilities of FMCW LiDAR FPA sensors as enablers of ubiquitous, low-cost, compact coherent 4D imaging cameras.

Type I superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I) are at least an order of magnitude brighter than standard SNe, with the power source for their luminosity still unknown1-3. The central engines of SLSNe-I are suggested to be magnetars4,5 but most of the SLSNe-I light curves have several bumps that are unexplained by the standard magnetar model6-8. Existing explanations for the bumps either modulate the engine luminosity or invoke interactions with circumstellar material (CSM). Surveys of the limited sample of SLSN-I light curves find no compelling evidence favouring either scenario7,9, leaving both the nature of the light-curve fluctuations and the applicability of the magnetar model unresolved. Here we report high-cadence multiband observations of a SLSN-I with clear 'chirped' (that is, decreasing period) light-curve bumps that can be directly linked to the properties of the magnetar central engine. Our observations are consistent with a magnetar centrally located within the expanding supernova ejecta, surrounded by an infalling accretion disk undergoing Lense-Thirring precession. Our analysis demonstrates that the light curve and bump frequency independently and self-consistently constrain the magnetar spin period to P = 4.2 ± 0.2 ms and the magnetic-field strength to B = (1.6 ± 0.1) × 1014 G. These results provide the first observational evidence of the Lense-Thirring effect in the environment of a magnetar and confirm the magnetar spin-down model as an explanation for the extreme luminosity observed in SLSNe-I. We anticipate that this discovery will create avenues for testing general relativity in a new regime-the violent centres of young SNe.

A seamless chip-to-world photonic interface enables broad advancements in optical ranging, display, communication, computation and quantum information science. The ideal solution enables two-dimensional scanning of a diffraction-limited beam from anywhere on a photonic integrated circuit to a large number of resolvable spots. Current beam-scanning technologies are limited by a fundamental trade-off: photonic-integrated-circuits with diffractive optics offer scalability but have poor mode quality1,2, whereas inertially limited micromechanical scanners provide high-quality beams but lack scalable integration3,4. Here we report a photonic ski-jump-a nanoscale waveguide monolithically integrated on a piezoelectric cantilever-to overcome these limitations. It passively curls ~90° out-of-plane within a less-than-0.1 mm2 footprint, emits a submicrometre, broadband diffraction-limited beam, and exhibits kilohertz-rate mechanical resonances with quality factors of over 10,000. Fabricated in a volume complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) foundry, our device enables scalable two-dimensional beam scanning. Driven on-resonance at CMOS-level voltages, it achieves a footprint-adjusted spot rate of 68.6 mega spots s-1 mm-², exceeding state-of-the-art micro-electro-mechanical systems mirrors by more than 50-fold, which is sufficient for one million pixels at 100 Hz from an approximately 1.5 mm diameter footprint. We demonstrate full-colour image and video projection, and single-photon initialization and readout from silicon vacancy centres in diamond. Finally, by demonstrating uniformity across a 64 ski-jump array, we establish a pathway to achieving greater than one gigaspot resolution at kilohertz rates within a sub-5-cm-diameter footprint, creating a seamless optical pipeline between integrated photonic processors and the free-space world.