Piezooptic Coefficients and Acoustic Wave Velocities in Sn2P2S6 Crystals

TL;DR

This study measures piezooptic coefficients and acoustic wave velocities in Sn2P2S6 crystals, revealing their potential for high acoustooptic applications due to exceptionally high figures of merit.

Contribution

The paper provides experimental determination of piezooptic coefficients and calculates elastic stiffness tensor components for Sn2P2S6 crystals, highlighting their superior acoustooptic performance.

Findings

Piezooptic coefficients measured at 623.8 nm and 293 K.

Elastic stiffness tensor components calculated from acoustic velocities.

Acoustooptic figure of merit reaches 2x10^-12 s^3/kg^2.

Abstract

Piezooptic coefficients of Sn2P2S6 crystals are experimentally determined for l=623.8 nm and T=293 K with the aid of interferometric technique. The components of the elastic stiffness tensor for these crystals are calculated on the basis of studies for the acoustic wave velocities. It is shown that acoustooptic figure of merit can achieve extremely high values for Sn2P2S6 crystals (M2 - 2x10-12s3/kg2).