Pulse compression using Bragg scattering of light by an acoustic beam has been demonstrated. An ultrasonic delay line containing a frequency ramp signal is used to scatter monochromatic diverging light. If the incident and divergence angles are properly adjusted, the scattered light is focused and rapidly traverses a slit in front of a photodetector. A 1.16‐GHz, 2‐&mgr;sec pulse has been compressed to 18 nsec. Five‐nanosecond compressed pulses should be possible with this scheme.