Photoacoustic transformation in gyrotropic media at interaction of two light beams

The photoacoustic effect in absorbing gyrotropic media at the contrary interaction of two elliptically polarized plane monochromatic light waves was investigated. It was determined that the PA response essentially depends on the value of gyration parameter real part amenable to the specific rotation of polarization plane. Negligible variations of the (gamma) ' value can lead to increase of PA signal amplitude by several orders without change of contrary light waves intensity. The characteristic extremum was discovered on graphic dependence of the PA signal amplitude at circular dichroism parameter, which is determined on the one hand by the rate of the volumetric energy dissipation change; on the other hand it is connected with the redistribution of the dissipative energy due to the multipath interference of the interacted modes and also their polarization state. We propose a method of control of generated PA signal amplitude and phase characteristics connected with the possibility of influence by external magnetic field on the energy dissipation of electromagnetic waves.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.