Abstract:
An experimental investigation was made of optical schemes for the generation of the second Stokes component in the SRS of broadband chirped laser pulses in high-pressure gases. Measurements were made of the energy conversion efficiency and the spatial characteristics of the light beam of the second Stokes component for one- and two-fold focusing of the pump radiation into the gas-filled cell as well as in schemes involving a quartz capillary and two gas-filled cells. The highest energy efficiency of conversion to the second Stokes component was attained in the case of cascade generation in the optical scheme with two pressurised-gas cells. In the SRS in hydrogen in this scheme, the Ti:sapphire laser radiation with a wavelength of 0.79 μm was converted to the 2.3-μm second Stokes component with an efficiency of 8.5%.