Efficient multiple-beam Bragg acoustooptic diffraction with phase optimization of a multifrequency acoustic wave

The subject of investigation is the formation of a highly efficient multiple-beam diffraction field resulting from acoustooptic diffraction by a periodically modulated acoustic wave and acoustic signal composed of a set of independently generated equidistant frequency components. Conditions for minimization of optical losses associated with higher diffraction orders are analyzed. A highly efficient multiple-beam diffraction field is formed by optimizing the phases and amplitudes of signal independent components. A technique of acoustooptic measurements at a high laser radiation intensity is developed, and the basics of the theory are verified experimentally. An attempt to split the power of a laser beam propagating through an optical fiber into seven channels of equal intensities is realized with a net efficiency of 80%.     

Diffraction of pulsed laser radiation from an acoustic wave with frequency- and phase-shift keying

Bragg acoustooptic diffraction of nanosecond pulsed laser radiation from a frequency- and/or phase-keyed acoustic wave is studied experimentally and theoretically for exact synchronization of laser pulses and signal keying. It is shown that the diffraction field for short pulses is practically stationary and is determined by the positions of acoustic signal keying over signal aperture. The application of this type of signals for the formation of a multibeam diffraction pulsed radiation field is considered. A method is proposed for transforming the angular spectrum of laser radiation intensity from the initial Gaussian to a nearly rectangular spectrum. This may considerably increase the efficiency of high-power technological lasers used in material processing (laser cutting, welding, engraving, etc.), in which the action of radiation is of the thresh-old type in light intensity. The possibility of correcting the angular intensity distribution for a pulsed fiber laser, which increases the thermal efficiency of radiation from such a laser, is established experimentally.     

Effect of the spatial structure of an acoustic field on Bragg’s acoustooptic diffraction under strong acoustic anisotropy conditions

Bragg’s acoustooptic diffraction in an acoustically anisotropic medium is considered taking into account the two-dimensional spatial diffraction structure of the acoustic beam. The conditions are determined under which reverse transfer of optical power from the diffracted to the transmitted beam in the regime of 100% efficiency of diffraction is considerably suppressed. It is shown that this effect is due to diffraction bending of wave fronts of the acoustic beam in the acoustooptic diffraction plane. The problem of optimization of the piezoelectric transducer size and the spatial position of the input light beam is solved using the criterion of the minimal required power of the acoustic field. The results of simulation in a wide range of the acoustooptic interaction parameters for a Gaussian light beam are reported. The correctness of the model is confirmed experimentally. Recommendations for designers of acoustooptic devices are formulated.     

Acousto-Optic Control of the 2D Energy Profile of Laser Beam

Technical Physics - Acousto-optic control of the energy profile of laser radiation is considered. High-efficiency multibeam Bragg diffraction with a combination of beams close in angular space that...     

Isotropic diffraction of a light beam by acoustic waves of fundamental frequency and harmonics

A set of equations describing acoustooptic diffraction of a light beam by acoustic waves of a fundamental frequency and its harmonics in an isotropic medium is obtained. The possibility of suppressing higher diffraction orders by adding the second or third harmonic to the fundamental monochromatic acoustic signal is theoretically justified. It is demonstrated that the maximum degree of suppression decreases with an increase in the light beam divergence. Results of simulation are presented for some particular cases of diffraction.     

Invariance of the Transmission Function of an Acousto-Optic Device for a Change in the Drift Angle of an Acoustic Beam

Acoustical Physics - Abstract—It is shown that the transmission function of an acousto-optic device remains unchanged for variations in the acoustic drift angle and acoustic column width when...     

New acoustooptic effect: Constant high diffraction efficiency in wide range of acoustic power

A new effect, viz., acoustooptic Bragg diffraction without the overmodulation mode, in which the efficiency of the Bragg order attains its maximal value (close to 100%) upon an increase in the intensity of an acoustic wave and then remains practically unchanged, is predicted theoretically and observed experimentally. The effect takes place in the case of considerable bending of phase fronts of the acoustic field in the acoustooptic diffraction plane and attains its maximal value at a relatively low frequency of sound, a small width of a piezoelectric transducer, strong acoustic anisotropy of the medium, and a large distance between the light beam and the piezoelectric transducer.