Do sound waves and light rays interact?

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Sound waves are vibrations that require a medium to travel, while light rays can move through a vacuum. There is speculation that sound and light do not directly interact, but sound waves can influence the medium through which light travels, potentially altering its properties. For instance, sound waves can change the density of a gas, which in turn affects the refractive index. Acousto-optical modulators utilize this principle, using sound waves in specific materials to modify the direction of light beams. Overall, while sound and light operate differently, they can indirectly affect each other through their interaction with mediums.
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Homework Statement



see topic title

Homework Equations



I think that sound waves are vibrations of particles in a medium. The vibrations continue until the energy is gone. Sound seems to need a medium to travel through.

Light can travel in a vacuum. your eye sees it from a source or from an object (reflection, refraction)...

The Attempt at a Solution



see my thoughts above. My guess is that they don't interact, but I'm not sure why exactly I think this.
 
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They do interact in that light interacts with the medium it is traveling through and sound waves can change that medium.
So you could change the density of a gas with sound waves and the change in density would give a (small) chnage in refractive index.

There are acousto-optical modulators where sound waves in specialy chosen materials are used to change the direction of a light beam by changing the optical properties of the material.
 

Thread 'Magnitude of buoyant force in fluids of different densities'

The book claims the answer is that all the magnitudes are the same because "the gravitational force on the penguin is the same". I'm having trouble understanding this. I thought the buoyant force was equal to the weight of the fluid displaced. Weight depends on mass which depends on density. Therefore, due to the differing densities the buoyant force will be different in each case? Is this incorrect?
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