Diffraction testing of ultrasonically-produced phase gratings using a double beam illumination method

An optical far-field method is described for studying ultrasonically-produced phase gratings with very small phase variations. An ultrasonic grating is illuminated by two plane waves mutually inclined at an angle properly matched to the diffraction angle of the inspected grating. The expressions for the time-dependent irradiance in the far-field diffraction orders are derived. They enable the extraction of the Raman-Nath parameter of a progressive ultrasonic beam. The application of the technique to pulsed ultrasound beams is proposed.