Reflection of plane elastic waves in tetragonal crystals with strong anisotropy

Abstract

Propagation and reflection of plane elastic waves in the acousto-optic crystals tellurium dioxide, rutile, barium titanate, and mercury halides are examined in the paper. The reflection from a free and flat boundary separating the crystals and the vacuum is investigated in the (001) planes in the case of glancing acoustic incidence on the boundary. The analysis shows that two bulk elastic waves may be reflected from the crystal surface. The energy flow of one of the reflected waves in paratellurite and in the mercury compounds propagates in a quasi-back-direction with respect to the incident energy flow. It is proved that energy flows of the incident and reflected elastic waves are separated by a narrow angle of only a few degrees. It is also found that the relative intensity of the unusually reflected waves is close to a unit in a wide variety of crystal cuts. General conclusions related to acoustic propagation and reflection in crystals have been made based on the examined phenomena in the materials.