Influence of Strong Acoustic Anisotropy on Reflection of Bulk Acoustic Waves in Crystals

Propagation and reflection of plane elastic waves in the acousto-optic crystals tellurium dioxide and calomel as well as in the ferroelectric material barium titanate is examined in the paper. The reflection of the waves from a free and flat boundary separating the crystal and the vacuum is investigated in the (001) planes of $TeO_2$, $Hg_2Cl_2$, and $BaTiO_3$ in the case of glancing acoustic incidence on the boundary. The analysis shows that as much as two elastic waves may be reflected from the crystal surface. Energy flow of one of the reflected waves in paratellurite and calomel propagates in a quasi-back direction with respect to the incident energy flow, so that both energy flows are separated by an angle as narrow as a few degrees. It is found that a relative intensity of the unusually reflected wave in the acousto-optic crystals may be close to a unit in a wide variety of crystal cuts. Possible applications of the examined phenomena in acousto-optic devices are discussed in the presentation.