Application of acousto-optic interaction for holographic conversion of light fields

This paper represents a survey of research on the problem of acousto-optic conversion of optical images. This method of conversion permits us to retain all information that is contained in both amplitude and phase spatial modulation of a light wave. Particular attention is given to acousto-optic visualization of phase objects and registration of optical wavefronts. Information possibilities of the acousto-optic method are illustrated by numerical calculations as well as by some experiments recently performed in this area.