Photoacoustic effect and the physics of waves

Abstract

The photoacoustic effect is the basis for photoacoustic spectroscopy, a rapidly developing technique for studying optical absorption in many solid and liquid samples which are difficult to study by conventional means. Understanding of the effect requires knowledge of both acoustic and thermal waves, making this an interesting problem in the application of fundamental wave concepts and techniques. Both qualitative and quantitative discussions are presented for use as classroom examples at various levels.