Abstract

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) of surface electromagnetic waves has been seen experimentally for the first time. In the experiment the picosecond single (transverse)-mode neodymium laser is used. The pump surface electromagnetic wave (λ_L = 1.06 µm) is excited at the silver-benzene interface by the attenuated total reflection method. The signal surface electromagnetic wave is partially radiated into the bulk wave (λ_S = 1.185 µm), which is detected in the experiment (see Fig. 1). We show experimentally that the SRS of surface electromagnetic waves involves a threshold. When the threshold intensity is exceeded by a few percent, the signal increases by three orders of magnitude.

© 1991 Optical Society of America