Acousto-optic visualization of optical wavefronts [Invited]

Abstract

The paper presents a short survey on theoretical and experimental investigations of an acousto-optic (AO) method of optical wavefront visualization proposed and developed at Moscow State University. The method is based on angular selectivity of Bragg diffraction. It is shown that distribution of light intensity in the visualized image is proportional to the phase gradient in the AO interaction plane. Spatial resolution and contrast of the visualized image are determined primarily by the divergence angle of the acoustic beam. Most attention in the paper is concentrated on the problem of AO visualization of two-dimensional phase objects. The important advantage of the AO method consists of the possibility of optical field phase-structure registration in the presence of amplitude modulation of the initial optical field. Examples of computer simulations as well as some experimental results are presented for illustration of the potentialities of this method.

Acousto-Optic Transfer Function Control by a Phased-Array Piezoelectric Transducer

“…This is the most common AOTF type, widely available and used in various hyperspectral imaging experiments [11,12]. Several previous applications of AO devices for optical image processing include image edge enhancement in coherent light [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] and phase imaging [21][22][23]. Novel designs of optical traps based on LBS by an AOSF have been recently demonstrated by Obydennov et al [24,25].…”

Optical image processing using acousto-optic modulators as programmable volume holograms: a review [Invited]

“…S. Case was the first, to the best of our knowledge, to demonstrate optical edge extraction using Bragg processing [3] . Balakshy pointed out the possibility of using acousto-optic interaction to perform spatial filtering in 1984 and recently presented a short survey on the use of acousto-optics for optical wavefront visualization [6,7] . Xia et al for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, demonstrated experimental Bragg diffraction image edge extraction and pioneered image processing in an imaging system with an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) as a programmable volume hologram [8] .…”

Review of acousto-optic spectral systems and applications

“…As the research of acousto-optic theory continues to progress, the principles of isotropic and anisotropic acousto-optic interactions need to be unified. We can consider the acousto-optic effect as a parametric interaction process, which is described by the relationship between the nonlinear polarization vector and the strain [6][7][8].…”