Phase regulation of lightwave transmission in inhomogeneous atmospheric medium using plane acoustic field

Abstract

Based on the acousto-optic effect and the Gladstone–Dale relationship, the relationship about variations of the refractive index of the isotropic homogeneous atmospheric medium and the inhomogeneous atmospheric medium with the sound pressure under the disturbance of the plane sound field is derived. Models for the transmission of plane light waves and Laguerre-Gaussian beams through homogeneous atmospheric medium and inhomogeneous atmospheric medium disturbed by plane acoustic waves are established. The results show that the refractive index distribution of the homogeneous atmospheric medium exhibits a homogeneous periodic distribution after being disturbed by the plane sound field. For large-scale angles of longitudinal variation of atmospheric pressure, the plane sound field has little effect on the distribution of the refractive index of the inhomogeneous atmosphere. For small-scale angles, the inhomogeneous atmospheric refractive index gradually decreases with height and fluctuates with the influence of sound pressure. When the plane acoustic wave disturbs the homogeneous atmospheric medium, the isophase plane of the plane light wave will fluctuate significantly due to the influence of the acoustic wave. The phase of the LG beam rotates and always returns to the original phase. When the plane acoustic wave disturbs the inhomogeneous atmospheric medium, the phase change of the plane light wave will change periodically with the change law of the sound wave. The overall optical path is an inclined plane, but due to the disturbance of the sound wave, the optical path will fluctuate. The phase of the LG beam still rotates, but unlike the homogeneous medium, its phase does not return to its original phase due to the change of its refractive index with height.