Generation of UV, VIS, and NIR laser light by stimulated Raman scattering in hydrogen with a pulsed 355-nm Nd:YAG laser
Abstract
Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is a powerful tool for frequency conversion to generate laser radiation from vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) to far infrared (FIR). In recent years, SRS has found its way in various applications such as generation of short laser pulses, time-gated imaging, low-light-level imaging, lidar measurements of ozone and aerosols. One of the advantages of SRS compared to other frequency conversion techniques is its high efficiency. Papayannis, et al. reported the generation of UV and VIS laser light in H2 using a 355-nm Nd:YAG laser pump with conversion efficiencies as high as 50% at the first Raman-shifted frequency.
In this work, a high-pressure hydrogen Raman cell is used to shift the 355 nm output of a Nd:YAG laser into the UV, VIS, and NIR region of 223 to 865 nm. The conversion efficiencies of the Raman-shifted wavelengths as functions of laser excitation energy and hydrogen pressure are determined from energy measurements.
