Contra-Intuitive Features of Time-Domain Brillouin Scattering in Collinear Paraxial Sound and Light Beams

Abstract: Time-domain Brillouin scattering is an opto-acousto-optical probe technique for the evaluation of the transparent materials. Ultrashort pump laser pulses via optoacoustic conversion launch in the sample picosecond coherent acoustic pulses. The time-delayed ultrashort probe laser pulses monitor the propagation of the coherent acoustic pulses via photo-elastic effect, which induces light scattering. A photodetector collects acoustically scattered light and the probe light reflected by the sample structure for the heterodyning. The scattered probe light carriers the information on the acoustical, optical and acousto-optical parameters of the material in the current position of the coherent acoustic pulse. Thus, among other applications, the time-domain Brillouin scattering is a technique for three-dimensional imaging. Sharp focusing of the coherent acoustic pulses and probe laser pulses could increase lateral spatial resolution of imaging, but could potentially diminish the depth of imaging. However, the theoretical analysis presented in this manuscript contra-intuitively demonstrates that the depth and spectral resolution of the time-domain Brillouin scattering imaging, with collinearly propagating paraxial sound and light beams, do not depend at all on the focusing/diffraction of sound. The variations of the amplitude of the time-domain Brillouin scattering signal are only due to the variations of the probe light amplitude caused by light focusing/diffraction. Although the amplitude of the acoustically scattered light is proportional to the product of the local acoustical and probe light field amplitudes the temporal dynamics of the time-domain Brillouin scattering signal amplitude is independent of the dynamics of the coherent acoustic pulse amplitude.