An acousto-optic modulator (AOM), also called a Bragg cell or an acousto-optic deflector (AOD), uses the acousto-optic effect to diffract and shift the frequency of light using sound waves (usually at radio-frequency). A light beam is diffracted into several orders. By vibrating the material with a pure sinusoid and tilting the AOM so the light is reflected from the flat sound waves into. An acousto-optic modulator (AOM) is a device which can be used for controlling the transmitted power of a laser beam with an electrical drive signal. This effect deals with the modulation of optical properties through variation in the refractive index of the medium under the influence of an acoustic wave. Within these devices incoming light Bragg di racts o acoustic wavefronts which propagate through a crystal.
