Abstract

The anti-Stokes Raman laser process is an interesting method for frequency upconversion and generation of tunable UV radiation. This method requires no index matching and allows high-conversion efficiencies and output energies and large frequency shifts in a single step. A basic requirement is a population inversion between a metastable level and a suitable lower-lying level. So far anti- Stokes laser emission has been demonstrated using the metastable TI (6P_3/2). l(5P_1/2). and Br (4P_1/2) levels, where a population inversion with respect to the corresponding atomic ground states has been generated by photodissociation of suitable compounds.^1-3 For the Tl system efficiencies of 10 % and output energies of ~1 mJ (at 377 nm) have been reported,¹ and with Br a shortest wavelength of 149 nm was possible by upconversion of 157.5-nm radiation of a F₂ laser.³

© 1984 Optical Society of America