Abstract

Heavy water is one of the best nonlinear media for continuum generation under the action of ultrashort laser pulses. Preliminary experimental results of the coherent Raman spectroscopic properties of this liquid, such as inverse Raman attenuation and stimulated Raman scattering, have been reported previously.^1–3 In particular, stronger coherent Raman emission was observed on the anti-Stokes side of the pump line and interpreted as stimulated anti-Stokes scattering (SARS).³ But an important question remained unanswered: why does the coherent emission not occur in the center or at any subpeak position of the spontaneous Raman emission profile? To answer this question, we reinvestigated the coherent Raman spectroscopic characteristics of heavy water, and we suggest here a novel explanation for the anti-Stokes coherent emission.

© 1992 Optical Society of America