EFFICIENT RAMAN CONVERSION THROUGH BACKWARD STIMULATED BRILLOUIN-SCATTERING

Abstract

We report a new scheme for efficient Raman conversion in high-pressure CH4 gas. Through the use of backward stimulated Brillouin scattering as a resonator mirror for the pump wave at a wavelength of 1.06 mu m, Raman laser generation at the eye-safe wavelength of 1.54 mu m has been obtained from a passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. At a pressure of 600 psi, we obtained Raman conversion efficiencies of up to 48%.