Unusual acoustic birefringence phenomena in antiferromagnets

Experimenters and, to some extent solid-state electronics specialists, will find in this paper a comprehensive review and much original material in a relatively new area of physical magnetoacoustics — acoustic birefringence (circular and linear) in antiferromagnets — where effects quite extraordinary from the viewpoint of nonmagnetic (and even ferromagnetic) crystals are studied. The availability of the theory of these effects, the possibility of controlling them with magnetic (B) and electrical (E) fields, and the understanding of the role of such factors as the crystal and magnetic structure, orientation state, sample size, the direction and magnitude of B and E, etc., all this paves the way and indeed calls for intensive experimental work and holds promise of new and exciting discoveries in solid-state magnetoacoustics.