RAMAN PUMPING IN THE ABSENCE OF AN EXTERNAL LIGHT-SOURCE

The first observation of a chemically enhanced resonance Raman pumping process, observed in the absence of an external light source, is repo rted. In an extended path length reactive environment, sodium dimer mo lecules are Raman pumped by radiation from the Na D-line produced by t he reaction of additional dimer molecules with bromine atoms. The obse rved Raman spectrum would appear to result from much more than a simpl e light scattering process.