A1_4 Bending Light With Sound

Abstract

Sound waves are oscillations of particles in a medium, which means there should be variations in the refractive index of the medium. By treating the waves like gradient-index (GRIN) lenses, we determine whether it would be feasible to use sound waves to produce a visible alteration in light path. We find that a specialised speaker would be necessary, as the minimum displacement amplitude required to achieve a visible effect is ∆x = 1.57 m, with an associated frequency of f = 6.37 Hz.