Optical-to-acoustic energy conversion efficiency upon interaction of pulsed laser radiation with a liquid: II. Conversion efficiency measurement by holographic interferometry upon acoustooptic interaction

The efficiency of conversion of pulsed CO₂ laser energy to acoustic energy is measured with holographic interferometry. The method suggested is simple and does not require that fringe shifts in the interferogram be converted to local pressure values in the acoustic wave. The efficiency measured for the thermal mechanism of energy conversion is in good agreement with analytical calculations [1] where the temperature dependence of the volume thermal expansion coefficient of water is taken into account.