Multiphonon resonant hyper-Raman scattering of light by longitudinal o
ptical phonons has been detected for the first time in a CdS crystal.
The behavior of the scattering cross sections with increasing number o
f excited phonons is of an alternating nature, and it is directly the
opposite of that in the case of resonant Raman scattering. The differe
nce is attributed to different sequences of intermediate states in the
cases of multiphonon Raman and hyper-Raman scattering.