ENHANCED RAMAN CONVERSION BY A 2-LONGITUDINAL-MODE BEAM IN THE PARA-HYDROGEN RAMAN LASER

Using a longitudinally mode-controlled transversely excited atmospheri c CO2 laser, we studied the conversion characteristics of single-, two -, and multimode pump pulses in a para-H-2 Raman laser. In the small s ignal region, two- and multimode pump pulses showed higher Raman conve rsion efficiencies. In the saturation region, however output energies pumped with single- and two-mode pulses exceeded those pumped with mul timode pulses. Consequently, the two-mode pumping was the most efficie nt within the limit of pump energies used in the experiment. The resul ts are explained in relation to the mode-mixing effect for the correla ted pump and Stokes beams. (C) 1995 American Institute of Physics.