STUDIES ON ACOUSTOOPTIC PROPERTIES OF SOME PIEZOELECTRIC CRYSTALS.

The development of the applications of laser light modulation and scanning necessitates a search for new and more perfect materials for modulators. The modulation of a laser beam by an acoustic wave is one of the methods of evaluating the suitability of materials by using the elastooptical effect, which occurs in the crystals - that is, in the modulator. The acoustooptical properties of a modulator are described by elastic and elastooptic tensors and by the so-called quality coefficient M, which defines the modulations of effectivity. The present paper describes one accurate methods of testing the properties of acoustooptical crystals, which is based on the examination of light scattering by thermal acoustic phonons.