G. W. Byram
Published: 1970
Total Pages: 24
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Opto-acoustic devices show considerable promise for high-bandwidth signal processing in radar and sonar. Their potential compactness permits consideration for torpedo use as well as fixed installation use. The physical structure of such devices is examined, with emphasis on the basic sound-light interaction. Problems with existing bulk-wave techniques are examined, and a proposed surface-wave technique is described. This interaction, based on optical tunneling, avoids many performance limitations imposed by the thickness of a bulk wave. The technique is currently limited by the difficulty of generating sufficiently large surface waves. (Author).