The diffraction of light by supersonic waves in solids

Abstract

An elementary theory of the diffraction of light by supersonic waves was put forward by Sir C. V. Raman and myself (4) to explain many of the important features of the phenomenon observed by Bär and others. Recently Mueller (2) pointed out the essential idea that the optical diffraction effects in solids may be interpreted on the basis of this theory if due account is taken of the photoelastic effects arising from the periodic strains caused by the sound waves. He was thus able to give an explanation of the results of Schaefer and Bergmann (5, 6). Mueller's idea, however, required a still further refinement, since it did not consider the phase relationships between the differently polarized components of the diffraction orders. This refinement has, however, been recently incorporated by Mueller and myself (3). This led us to offer an explanation of the diffraction effects observed by Hiedemann and Hoesch (1) in glass blocks.