Direct imaging of travelling Rayleigh waves by stroboscopic x-ray topography

We report here the first successful experiments which exploit the time structure and single bunch mode of operation of the Daresbury Synchrotron Radiation Source (SRS). Rayleigh waves travelling on the surface of a piezoelectric crystal have been imaged by stroboscopic X-ray topography, in which the generation of the waves is synchronized with X rays emitted by the orbiting electrons in the storage ring. Interactions between the Rayleigh waves and microscopic crystalline defects have been observed and provide new insights into the factors affecting surface acoustic wave (SAW) device operation. It has been demonstrated that this novel technique has considerable potential for the study of periodic phenomena in crystals.