A frequency-tunable optical relay comprising one acousto-optic device (AOD) in a double pass configuration is provide. The AOD is configured to receive (a) an input optical beam propagating in a first direction toward the AOD from a first side of the AOD and (b) an electrical driving signal. The optical relay further comprises an output optical element array comprising a plurality of output optical elements disposed on the first side of the AOD. Each output optical element of the plurality of output optical elements is configured to provide a respective output optical beam substantially propagating either parallel or anti-parallel to a second direction. The plurality of output optical elements are spaced apart from one another in a third direction, which is transverse to both the first direction and the second direction.

An acousto-optic system may include a laser source, and an AOM coupled to the laser source and having an acousto-optic medium and transducer electrodes carried by the medium. The acousto-optic system may also include an interface board with a dielectric layer and signal contacts carried by the dielectric layer, and connections coupling respective signal contacts with respective transducer electrodes. Each connection may include a dielectric protrusion extending from the AOM, and an electrically conductive layer on the dielectric protrusion for coupling a respective transducer electrode to a respective signal contact.

An acousto-optic system may include a laser source, and an AOM coupled to the laser source and having an acousto-optic medium and transducer electrodes carried by the medium. The acousto-optic system may also include an interface board with a dielectric layer and signal contacts carried by the dielectric layer, and connections coupling respective signal contacts with respective transducer electrodes. Each connection may include a dielectric protrusion extending from the AOM, and an electrically conductive layer on the dielectric protrusion for coupling a respective transducer electrode to a respective signal contact.

Acousto-optical modulator apparatus for acousto-optically deflecting laser beam includes gas-filled volume including working gas and having input and output sections, for receiving beam along incidence light path via input section and transmitting beam along deflection light path via output section, and ultra-sound transducer device for creating ultra-sound field intersecting incidence light path in interaction region within gas-filled volume and creating periodic density modulation of working gas in interaction region, ultra-sound transducer device deflecting beam in interaction region by Bragg-diffraction in ultra-sound field, so that deflection light path has direction deviating from direction of incidence light path, wherein gas-filled volume keeps working gas at working pressure below bar and input section and output section transmit beam with laser center wavelength included in wavelength range from mid-IR to XUV. Preferably, ultra-sound transducer device focuses ultra-sound field in interaction region. Furthermore, a method of acousto-optically deflecting laser beam in working gas is disclosed.

An apparatus includes an electronic circuit, an electro-acoustic transducer and a coupler. The electronic circuit is configured to receive data to be transmitted over an optical cable, and to convert the data into a modulating signal. The electro-acoustic transducer is configured to convert the modulating signal into an acoustic wave. The coupler is configured to be mechanically coupled to a section of the optical cable, and to apply to the section a longitudinal stretching force that varies responsively to the acoustic wave, so as to modulate the data onto an optical carrier traversing the optical cable.

The disclosed technology teaches a method of reducing the impact of cross-talk between transducers that drive an acousto-optic modulator. The method includes operating the transducers, which are mechanically coupled to an acousto-optic modulator medium, with different frequencies applied to adjoining transducers and producing a time-varying phase relationship between carriers on spatially adjoining modulation channels emanating from the adjoining transducers, with a frequency separation between carriers on the adjoining channels of 400 KHz to 20 MHz. The disclosed technology also includes operating 5 to 32 modulators, which are mechanically coupled to the acousto-optic modulator crystal, and varying the different frequencies applied to the modulators in a sawtooth pattern, varying the different frequencies over a range and then repeating variation over the range. Also included is varying the frequencies applied to the modulators in a rising or falling pattern applied progressively to the spatially adjoining transducers.

An acousto-optic imaging method in which light waves and unfocused acoustic waves having various directions of propagation m are emitted in a medium, by spatially modulating the amplitude of the ultrasonic transducers of an array of transducers according to several periodic spatial amplitude modulations j, and the resulting optical signal S.sub.mj(t) is captured. For each direction of propagation m, the signals S.sub.mj(t) are spatially demodulated in order to determine a signal S.sub.m(t) used to reconstruct the image of the medium.

A method assesses the beam profile of a light beam of a non-contact tool setting apparatus, the apparatus including a transmitter for emitting the light beam and a receiver for receiving the light beam. The receiver generates a beam intensity signal describing the intensity of received light. The apparatus is mounted to a machine tool having a spindle that is moveable relative to the non-contact tool setting apparatus. The method includes loading an object having an edge into the spindle of the machine tool and using the machine tool to move the spindle relative to the apparatus so that the edge of the object passes through the light beam. The beam profile of the light beam is then determined using the beam intensity signal generated at a plurality of positions during the step (ii) of moving the edge of the object through the light beam.

A carbon isotope analysis method, including the steps of: generating carbon dioxide isotope from carbon isotope; feeding the carbon dioxide isotope into an optical resonator having a pair of mirrors; applying irradiation light having an absorption wavelength of the carbon dioxide isotope into the optical resonator; adjusting a relative positional relationship between the mirrors so that an optical axis of the irradiation light and an optical axis of light generated by the etalon effect are not matched; measuring the intensity of the transmitted light generated by resonance of carbon dioxide isotope excited by the irradiation light; and calculating the concentration of the carbon isotope from the intensity of the transmitted light. An optical resonator that can be suppressed in the parasitic etalon effect, and a carbon isotope analysis device and a carbon isotope analysis method, by use of the optical resonator, are provided.

An electric circuit for driving an acousto-optic crystal includes a piezoelectric converter configured to drive the acousto-optic crystal to vibrate mechanically. A signaling cable is configured to conduct a first electrical alternating-current signal and a second electrical signal. The electric circuit further includes a first frequency-separating filter and a second frequency-separating filter, each of the frequency-separating filters having an input, a high-frequency output and a low-frequency output. The input of the first frequency-separating filter and the input of the second frequency-separating filter is connected to the signaling cable, and the high-frequency output of the second frequency-separating filter is connected to the piezoelectric converter.