Acousto-optic modulation of gigawatt-scale laser pulses in ambient air

Control over the intensity, shape, direction and phase of coherent light is essential in numerous fields, from gravitational wave astronomy, quantum metrology and ultrafast sciences to semiconductor fabrication. Modern photonics, however, can involve parameter regimes where the wavelength or high optical powers involved restrict control due to absorption, light-induced damage or optical nonlinearity in solid media. Here we propose to circumvent these constraints using gaseous media tailored by high-intensity ultrasound waves. We demonstrate an implementation of this approach by efficiently deflecting ultrashort laser pulses using ultrasound waves in ambient air, without the use of transmissive solid media. At optical peak powers of 20 GW, exceeding previous limits of solid-based acousto-optic modulation by about three orders of magnitude, we reach a deflection efficiency greater than 50% while preserving excellent beam quality. Our approach is not limited to laser pulse deflection; gas-phase photonic schemes controlled by sonic waves could potentially be useful for realizing a new class of optical elements such as lenses or waveguides, which are effectively invulnerable against damage and can operate in new spectral regions. Air-based acousto-optic modulation is shown to be able to efficiently control gigawatt-scale, ultrashort laser pulses.