Numerical simulations of pulsed and quasi-cw regimes of synchronously pumped Raman oscillators

Synchronously pumped Raman oscillators allow for an efficient frequency conversion of pump pulses whose power is well below the threshold for extracavity stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). Numerical simulations show that the cavity mismatch of pump laser and Raman oscillator is critical for maximum conversion efficiency and minimum pulse duration for transient and stationary SRS. At a certain mismatch the simulations predict a quasi-cw Raman oscillator output even at moderate cavity quality factors. Optimum operation conditions are discussed for pump pulse trains of finite lengths. The results of the numerical calculations are in qualitative agreement with a simple phenomenological model. PACS 42.55.Ye; 42.65.Dr; 42.55.Lt