Nonlinear acoustic transparency phenomena in strained paramagnetic crystals

Nonlinear dynamics of longitudinal acoustic pulses propagating in a strained paramagnetic cubic crystal at low temperature is analyzed. The direction of constant uniform strain is parallel to one of the fourth-order symmetry axes. Effective-spin 1 ions are considered as paramagnetic impurities with the strongest spin-lattice interaction. In this medium, normally degenerate magnetic sublevels are dynamically shifted by the quadrupole Stark effect, and the frequencies of the transitions induced by an acoustic pulse change accordingly. The self-consistent system of equations derived in this study without using the slowly varying envelope approximation describes pulse propagation at an arbitrary angle to the direction of the static strain. Exponentially and rationally decaying monopolar and breather-like solutions to the system are obtained. An analysis of the solutions reveals an asymmetry of the pulse polarity depending on the type of strain (extension or compression) and the pulse propagation direction. In particular, it is shown that acoustic transparency associated with monopolar strain pulses exhibits threshold behavior. The sign of the time area (zeroth harmonic) of breather-like strain pulses is such that the transition frequency averaged over an oscillation period dynamically decreases. This behavior determines the efficiency of generation of high-order harmonics of acoustic pulses in strained paramagnetic crystals.