Rotational Raman scattering dependence on pump polarization

The influence of the ellipticity degree of the pump radiation polarization on threshold energies and energy conversion efficiencies of stimulated rotational Raman scattering (SRRS) are investigated in H₂ with a XeCl excimer laser, by using different focusing geometries. For the first time, it is shown that the dependence of SRRS on pump radiation polarization is also affected by the focusing geometry, i.e. whether low- or high-angle focusing is applied. The experimentally determined threshold energies as a function of the pump radiation polarization are in accordance with theory mainly at high-angle focusing geometries. It is also shown for the first time that gain suppression effects on vibrational Raman scattering have to be considered in understanding the experimental results. Received: 5 January 1999 / Final version: 10 September 1999 / Published online: 8 March 2000     

Improved conversion efficiency of XeCl radiation to the first stokes at high pump energy

An XeCl laser beam has been used to investigate stimulated Raman scattering in H₂ and in various H₂-foreign gas mixtures. Helium, neon, argon, and nitrogen have been tested as foreign gases. In all the investigated mixtures with 50% of H₂, the energy conversion efficiency to the first Stokes (353 nm) was more than 70% higher than that obtained in H₂ at the same total pressure (40 bar) and pump energy (60 mJ). The dependence of the energy conversion efficiency on pump beam divergence has also been investigated.     

XeCl laser generated infra-red SRS in barium vapour

Radiation at 2.36 μm is produced by stimulated electronic Raman scattering in barium vapour. The pump radiation is provided by a XeCl excimer laser. Photon conversion efficiencies of up to 1% are observed. The variations of the infra-red Stokes output with barium number density and with pump intensity are described.     

Effect of buffer gas on the generation of eye-safe 1.54 μm radiation using the stimulated Raman scattering technique in CH4

Experimental results on the generation of 1.54 μm eye-safe radiation in pure CH₄, CH₄:He and CH₄:Ar mixtures pumped by the fundamental of an Nd:YAG laser, using the stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) technique, are described. A decrease in the energy conversion efficiency and degradation in the beam quality of S₁ was observed in pure CH₄ at high pump energies. This problem was overcome in CH₄:He and CH₄:Ar mixtures. Compared with the first Stokes (1.54 μm) energy conversion efficiency in pure CH₄, at a pump energy of 126 mJ, an enhancement of 50% in energy conversion efficiency was observed in the CH₄:Ar mixture (60% argon concentration) and as much as 100% in the CH₄:He mixture (60% helium concentration). The use of these buffer gas mixtures improved the spatial beam quality of the Stokes radiation considerably and also resulted in raising the pump threshold for optical breakdown of the Raman gain medium.     

Effect of buffer gas on the generation of eye-safe 1.54 μm radiation using the stimulated Raman scattering technique in CH4

Experimental results on the generation of 1.54 μm eye-safe radiation in pure CH₄, CH₄:He and CH₄:Ar mixtures pumped by the fundamental of an Nd:YAG laser, using the stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) technique, are described. A decrease in the energy conversion efficiency and degradation in the beam quality of S₁ was observed in pure CH₄ at high pump energies. This problem was overcome in CH₄:He and CH₄:Ar mixtures. Compared with the first Stokes (1.54 μm) energy conversion efficiency in pure CH₄, at a pump energy of 126 mJ, an enhancement of 50% in energy conversion efficiency was observed in the CH₄:Ar mixture (60% argon concentration) and as much as 100% in the CH₄:He mixture (60% helium concentration). The use of these buffer gas mixtures improved the spatial beam quality of the Stokes radiation considerably and also resulted in raising the pump threshold for optical breakdown of the Raman gain medium.     

High-power tunable terahertz generation from a surface-emitted THz-wave parametric oscillator based on two MgO:LiNbO3 crystals

A high-powered tunable terahertz wave (THz-wave) has been parametrically generated via a surface-emitted THz-wave parametric oscillator (TPO) pumped by a multi-longitudinal-mode Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The effective parametric gain length was enlarged by employing two MgO:LiNbO₃ crystals. The tunable THz-wave radiation from 0.8 to 2.8 THz was realized via varying phase-matching angle between the pump wave and the Stokes wave. The maximum THz-wave radiation was 173.9 nJ/pulse at 1.7 THz as the pump energy was 82 mJ, corresponding to an energy conversion efficiency of about 2.12 × 10⁻⁶ and a photon conversion efficiency of about 0.035%. The first-order, the second-order and the third-order Stokes waves were observed during the experiments.     

Simple and efficient H2 Raman conversion of a XeCl laser with a variable numerical aperture coupling geometry

A simple combination of a lens-based unstable resonator and an inverted telescope coupling geometry working in a XeCl laser pumped H₂ Raman cell are presented. Raman spectrum optimization is achieved by varying the pump beam numerical aperture. 70% pump depletion and energy conversion efficiencies as high as 66% and 7.8% have been obtained for S₁, S₂ and S₃ respectively.     

Intracavity Raman conversion for 16-μm Stokes pulse generation in para-hydrogen

16-μm Stokes pulses were directly generated for the first time to our knowledge by an intracavity configuration for the para-hydrogen Raman laser. We have analyzed Stokes field growth using a focused gain model and designed a pump/Stokes cavity to satisfy CO₂ pump power and pulse duration requirements for Raman oscillation. The CO₂ laser oscillation with circular polarization was realized by seeding externally circularly polarized CO₂ radiation. An output energy of 2.4 mJ was obtained with the output coupler of 0.5% transmittance, which indicated that 420 mJ of Stokes pulse energy was stored inside the cavity. This suggests that a much higher energy can be extracted by the optimization of cavity parameters. Received: 18 November 1998 / Published online: 26 May 1999     

Numerical optimization of the extracavity Raman laser with barium nitrate crystal

The radiation transfer equations of the extracavity Raman laser including up to the third Stokes beams and backward Raman scattering terms were deduced in detail from the wave equation and material equations of stimulated Raman scattering. The radiation transfer equations were solved numerically to optimize the performance of the extracavity Raman lasers with barium nitrate crystal as the nonlinear medium. The optimum reflectivity of the output coupler at the first Stokes was figured out numerically to achieve the maximum conversion efficiency of the first Stokes, and found to be closely related to the pump pulse duration, peak intensity of the pump pulse, and Raman crystal length. With the resonator mirrors highly reflective at the first Stokes, the highest conversion efficiency of the second Stokes was obtained when the input mirror was highly reflective at second Stokes, whereas the output coupler was highly transmissive at the second Stokes. It was found that too high intracavity intensity of the second Stokes would impede the efficient energy extraction from the pump pulse to the first Stokes, and consequently, limit the conversion efficiency of the second Stokes.     

Generation of coherent radiation at 61.6 nm by fifth harmonic conversion of radiation from a XeCl laser

Fifth harmonic conversion of radiation from a XeCl laser in Ar and Kr, generating radiation at 61.6 nm, is reported. Fifth power law variation of the generated energy with the pump energy is observed. The effects of continuum absorption are observed in the width of the phase matching peak in Ar.     

Diode-pumped continuous-wave Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser with self-frequency Raman conversion

Continuous-wave operation of a diode-pumped Nd:YVO₄ laser with self-frequency Raman conversion is demonstrated. The threshold of Raman generation was measured to be 1.3 W of laser diode power. The maximum output power of Stokes radiation at the wavelength of 1177 nm was up to 50 mW at a laser diode pump power of 2.3 W, corresponding to the slope efficiency of 5%. The beam quality M² of the Stokes radiation was about 1.4. The fluctuations of the Stokes power were minimised down to 4%. PACS 42.55.Ye; 42.60.Pk; 42.65.Dr     

Generation of a high-temporal contrast ultrafast laser pulse near 1,053 nm through stimulated Raman frequency shift

A high-temporal contrast femtosecond Stokes pulse near 1,053 nm is obtained simply without polarizer extinction ratio limitation based on the stimulated Raman frequency shift process in ethanol with an 800-nm femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser as a pump source. By optimizing the incident pump pulse chirp and the ethanol Raman cell length, a clean Stokes pulse near 1,053 nm with a maximum energy of 0.24 mJ is obtained with ~7.5 % conversion efficiency and 0.8 % (rms) energy fluctuation. Compared with the incident pump pulse, the temporal contrast of the Stokes pulse is improved by at least approximately three orders of magnitude.     

Sub-nanosecond microchip laser with intracavity Raman conversion

Efficient sub-nanosecond pulse operation of microchip lasers with intracavity Raman conversion and pulse compression is presented for the first time. The microchip lasers were composed of Nd:LSB or Nd:YAG laser crystals, Cr⁴⁺:YAG saturable absorber, and Ba(NO₃)₂ Raman medium. The pulse duration obtained at the Stokes wavelength (1196 nm) was as short as 118 ps. Optical conversion efficiency of laser-diode pump power to the Stokes power of 8% was reached. Pulse energy and peak power of Stokes emission were 1.2 μJ and 5.4 kW, correspondingly. Numerical calculations are in good agreement with obtained experimental results. Received: 20 December 2002 / Revised version: 6 March 2003 / Published online: 5 May 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +1-716/645-6945, E-mail: ankuzmin@acsu.buffalo.edu RID="**" ID="**"Present address: University at Buffalo, SUNY, The Institute for Lasers, Photonics, and Biophotonics, 458 NSC, Buffalo, NY 14 260-3000, USA     

Growth profile of stimulated Raman anti‐Stokes scattering influenced by fluorescence seeding in liquid‐core optical fiber

We demonstrated the growth profile of stimulated Raman anti‐Stokes scattering (SRS) of carbon disulfide (CS₂) influenced by fluorescence seeding of all‐trans‐β‐carotene and rhodamine‐B (RhB) in liquid‐core optical fiber (LCOF). The pump energy which was needed to build up the first‐order anti‐Stokes radiation of CS₂ solutions with the fluorescence seeding was lower than that of CS₂ solutions without fluorescence seeding because of the fluorescence enhancement effect on the intensity of the first‐order Stokes radiation. The first‐order anti‐Stokes radiation of the RhB solution (10⁻⁸ M ) was built up at a lower pump energy than that of the all‐trans‐β‐carotene solution (10⁻⁶ M ), and the intensity of the first‐order anti‐Stokes radiation of the RhB solution was higher than that of the all‐trans‐β‐carotene solution. Simultaneously, the coupled wave differential equations were obtained by the theoretical derivation, and the growth profile of the first‐order anti‐Stokes radiation was theoretically calculated with and without the fluorescence seeding by these equations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High-efficiency multicolour Q-switched Nd3+:KGd(WO4)2 laser

Energy output of 400 mJ, an order of magnitude higher than reported previously is obtained in aQ-switched flashlamp-pumped Nd³⁺:KGd(WO₄)₂ laser. No pronounced saturation of the output energy with respect to the pump energy is observed. Multiwavelength operation due to efficient Stokes conversion in the laser crystal is demonstrated.     

A multilens Raman cell as a tool to obtain high optical quality and efficient 1st Stokes backward conversion

A multilens high pressure H₂ cell has been used to demonstrate that efficient, high optical quality and low threshold down-conversion to 1st Stokes can be obtained also with a poor quality broadband pump, with just the condition that the pump pulsewidth is larger than the cell transit time. A backward 1st Stokes with 0.7 overall quantum efficiency conversion has been obtained from a broadband Nd:YAG duplicated laser.     

Intracavity Raman laser generating a third stokes component at 1.5 μm

The lasing properties of an intracavity Nd:KGW Raman laser which converts the multimode radiation of an Nd:KGW laser operating on the ⁴ F _3/2–⁴ I _11/2 transition into the third Stokes component at a wavelength of 1.5 μm are studied. The energy in the third Stokes component is found to increase essentially linearly with the electrical energy delivered to the flashlamp. Lasing at the third Stokes component begins in the central portion of the Nd:KGW crystal and then propagates to its boundaries. Reducing the geometric aperture of the multimode pump beam in the Raman crystal lowers the divergence of the Stokes emission. For a source pump energy of 6 J, the intracavity Raman laser emits 14.7 mJ pulses of duration 3–4 nsec which are safe to the eyes. The divergence of the Raman laser beam at a level of 86% of the total energy is ≈ 9 mrad.     

宽频带聚焦泵浦准稳态受激电子喇曼散射的增益因子和能量转换效率

本文采用Raman-Maxwell-Bloch方程,计算了宽频带聚焦泵浦准稳态受激电子喇曼散射的增益因子和能量转换效率.在计算中考虑了泵浦抽空、喇曼介质对泵浦光的吸收和喇曼介质的泡和效应.计算结果与XeCl激光在钡蒸汽中的受激喇曼散射实验基本上符合.     

Emission of organic dyes in the case of nonlinear absorption upon excitation by the XeCl* laser

Spectral luminescent properties of eight organic dyes are studied upon excitation by focused radiation from the XeCl* laser at the pump power up to 200 MW/cm². The transmission of pump radiation by dyes is investigated as a function of the pump power. It is shown that variations in the energy, spectral, and temporal parameters of radiation of organic dyes upon high-power excitation are explained by the development of superluminescence (amplified spontaneous emission).     

N2 laser frequency conversion by stimulated Raman scattering in H2

High-efficiency frequency conversion in H₂ of a nitrogen laser oscillator-amplifier system is described. The laser system provides about 1 MW output power with a very low intrinsic divergence. Up to 3 Stokes lines at 392, 468, and 581 nm and 3 Anti-Stokes at 296, 263, and 237 nm, respectively, have been observed at the output of the 60 cm long H₂ Raman cell. Peak power values of 500, 300, and 70 kW have been measured for the first 3 Stokes, respectively, corresponding to a 56% pump energy conversion efficiency.A comparison between free and guided propagation (in a hollow dielectric waveguide) is also reported, for various values of the pump intrinsic divergence.