What is an Acousto-Optic Deflector?

An Acousto-Optic Deflector (AOD) uses the acousto-optic effect to diffract light using sound waves.

The condition for Bragg diffraction is given by:

Where:

• $\theta_B$ is the Bragg angle
• $\lambda$ is the wavelength of light
• $f$ is the frequency of the sound wave
• $v_s$ is the velocity of sound in the crystal

By changing the frequency $f$, we can steer the beam to different positions, allowing us to rearrange atoms in a tweezer array.