LASER-GENERATED PSEUDO-RAYLEIGH ACOUSTIC-WAVE PROPAGATING ALONG EDGE OF A THIN-PLATE

A pseudo-Rayleigh wave traveling along the edge of a thin plate is exc ited by a pulsed laser and detected by optical interferometry. The fie ld confinement feature at the top of the plate edge is investigated by means of acoustic dilatation measurement. A nearly dispersionless beh avior and little diffraction loss are observed during the guided mode propagation which agree with theoretical prediction. The possibility o f using this wave for viscosity sensing is also discussed. (C) 1996 Am erican Institute of Physics.