Isotropic acoustooptic Bragg diffraction in paratellurite by a slow shear wave

An analysis is made of acoustooptic Bragg diffraction in a paratellurite crystal in the case of a slow shear acoustic wave. It is shown that the isotropic acoustooptic interaction in crystals has characteristic physical features, which distinguish it from the well-known anisotropic interaction. The isotropic interaction under study is shown to be a more complicated process than diffraction in optically isotropic media. A theoretical and experimental study of the dependences of Bragg angle of incidence on the ultrasound frequency was made. Expressions for the calculation of this dependence are presented, which give results that agree well with the experimental data. The dependences of the isotropic-diffraction efficiency on the acoustic power were studied. For the first time, it was found that the corresponding dependences for anisotropic and isotropic interactions are substantially different. It is shown that the isotropic interaction under study is weaker than the anisotropic interaction. However, the isotropic-diffraction efficiency has a noticeable value and can reach tens of a percent.