Abstract

Acousto-optic strong interaction with a curved wave front of sound is of great interest. In the context of acousto-optic theory, it is an excellent model for testing and comparing the algorithmic and Monte Carlo versions of the general strong interaction formalism of arbitrary fields. In addition, it lends itself particularly well to qualitative analysis by the diffracted ray tracing method and to semiquantitative analysis by the eikonal theory of local, strong acousto-optic interactions. From a practical point of view, curved wave front interaction may well complement the beam-steering and anisotropic configurations used for wideband operation. An analytic solution is known for the case of Bragg diffraction. This presentation is concerned, however, with the more general case of multiple order generation. Here the eikonal theory of acousto-optics predicts the generation of successive orders at successive localized interaction points. I will show that this behavior is confirmed by a simulation based on a recently developed, efficient, split-step algorithm. I will also discuss in some detail the quantitative aspects of the eikonal theory vs. the simulation and the implications of the curved wave front configuration for wide-band devices.

© 1992 Optical Society of America