The subject of the paper is related to analysis of Bragg regimes of light diffraction by ultrasound that may be observed in optically biaxial media. The regimes of acousto-optic diffraction characterized by change of optic mode during the interaction process as well as the diffraction with conservation of optic polarization are discussed in the presentation. Dependences of Bragg incidence angle on acoustic frequency are examined for various interaction geometries including the cases of symmetrical and non-symmetrical wave vector diagrams. It is shown that many of the analyzed cases of Bragg acousto-optic diffraction may be applied for development of acousto-optic devices such as modulators, deflectors and tunable filters. The sufficient part of the calculations was carried out for the promising biaxial material double lead molybdate (Pb₂MoO₅) possessing a considerably high acousto-optic figure of merit. Wavelength dispersion of directions of optical axes in the material as well as the dispersion of directions of basic indicatrix axes has been taken into account during the analysis.

Date Published: 29 September 2005
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 5953, Acousto-optics and Photoacoustics, 59530U (29 September 2005); doi: 10.1117/12.622291

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 5953:
Acousto-optics and Photoacoustics
Antoni Sliwinski; Rainer Reibold; Vitaly B. Voloshinov, Editor(s)