Optical detection of elastodynamic fields of ultrasonic transducers

By applying diffraction grids to the detection surface the full vector content of the elastic wave field of ultrasonic transducers can be measured using common heterodyne interferometers. The signal to noise ratio is good enough to detect even small edge wave contributions to the elastic wave field. Numerical simulation of the elastic wave propagation by the elastodynamic finite integration technique helps to understand the origin of several field components observed in the measurements.