Optical Interactions in a Dielectric Material with Multiple Perturbations.

The interaction of light propagating through a dielectric material with multiple perturbations is investigated. A general coupled mode theory of two gratings is presented. The acousto-electro-optic effect is introduced as an example of an indirect interaction due to the acousto -optic and electro-optic effects. The acousto-electro-optic effect is analyzed using the general theory and is demonstrated experimentally. The application of this effect to light modulation and deflection is discussed in detail. Also a correlator that is based on the photorefractive acousto -electro-optic effect is demonstrated and analyzed theoretically.