Word of the Day
14 February 2026
acoustooptics
The science that studies the diffraction of light by ultrasonic sound.
Why this one
A sound wave squeezing a crystal makes a moving grating of dense and thin layers, so a laser beam can be steered or switched with no moving parts. It is why the modulator in a Q switched laser has no shutter in it.
In use
The beam steering on that engraver is all acoustooptics, so there's nothing in there to wear out or go out of alignment.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.