acoustooptics
Acoustooptics is the study and application of the interaction between acoustic waves and optical waves in transparent materials. The central phenomenon is the acousto-optic effect, in which an ultrasonic or radio-frequency acoustic wave propagating through a solid creates a moving refractive-index grating via the photoelastic effect. This grating can diffract light, producing a displaced and, in some configurations, frequency-shifted copy of the incident beam.
In typical devices, an RF transducer excites an acoustic wave that travels through a crystal such as
Key devices include acousto-optic modulators (AOMs), which control light intensity, frequency, or both by adjusting the
Performance depends on material properties such as elasto-optic coefficients, acoustic attenuation, and thermal stability, as well