Experimental evidence of distorted rippling profiles of finited amplitude acoustic surface waves

Waveform distortion of acoustic surface waves is experimentally analyzed through testing the modification of rippling profiles. An optical probing method has been used, which allows one to measure the phase shift between fundamental and second harmonic through the asymmetries of the light diffracted in second orders by the distorted waves. Several configurations of the rippling profiles have been investigated of surface waves propagating on LiNbO3, LiTaO3, Bi12GeO20 and SiO2. Cases have been found where phase relation between fundamental and second harmonic waves is such as to produce straight forward or backward sloping profiles.