Asymmetric light diffraction by pulsed ultrasonic waves

Abstract

Low-MHz, continuous ultrasonic waves traveling in a transparent medium cause light to be diffracted into discrete diffraction orders when light and sound propagation directions are normal to each other. When pulsed ultrasonic waves are used the diffraction orders split into secondary orders which are asymmetric with respect to the central diffraction order. This splitting is derived and a general expression provided for the intensity as a function of the ultrasonic pulse Fourier spectra. Examples are provided which demonstrate the degree of asymmetry for an exponential driving pulse and the convergence to the classic Raman–Nath results when the pulse approaches a continuous wave.