Abstract

The generation of Stokes light by stimulated Raman scattering with a broadband pump is usually modeled by assuming that the input Stokes signal contains the same modes as the input pump wave. In this paper we investigate the evolution of the Stokes wave when the modes of the starting signal are not related to those of the pump. If the assumed starting modes for the Stokes wave are narrowly spaced compared to the spacing of the pump modes, these calculations can serve as a model of growth from noise. Of particular interest is the case in which the pump modes are narrowly spaced compared to the Raman line width. In this situation the Stokes signal may not reproduce a series of delta function modes assumed for the pump, but may have a more uniform distribution. Evolution of the Stokes mode structure under conditions of high gain and the degree of correlation with the pump will be examined for this case and will be compared with similar results obtained for wider mode spacings.

© 1990 Optical Society of America