Acoustogyration diffraction of optical waves: Case of SiO2 and TeO2 crystals

Abstract

Interaction of acoustic and light waves with accounting for elastooptic and elastogyration effects is theoretically described. Collinear acoustogyration diffraction in quartz and paratellurite crystals is experimentally investigated and thoroughly analyzed. Piezogyration effect is experimentally studied for TeO2 crystals. The acoustogyration efficiency and the acoustogyration figure of merit calculated for a number of crystals (GaAs, TeO2 and SiO2) are shown to be too small for experimental detection. On the other hand, we demonstrate that the light diffraction at periodical distribution of the imaginary part of dielectric permittivity related to the piezogyration effect should, in principle, be observed for the case of interaction of optical waves with enantiomorphous ferroelastic domain structure and in cholesteric liquid crystals. © 2010 Versita Warsaw and Springer-Verlag Wien.