Eikonal theory of strong acousto-optic interaction with curved wave fronts of sound

Abstract

The diffraction of light that is due to a converging sound field is interpreted and analyzed in terms of an eikonal ray theory. This theory, in combination with Feynman diagram techniques, indicates that the acousto-optic interaction is physically localized over a width of the sound field given roughly by the geometric mean of the sound’s wavelength and the sound field’s radius of curvature. Analytic results (for two diffracted orders) are in close agreement with 10-order numerical simulations, as long as sound amplitudes are not so strong as to violate assumptions made in the analytic model.