Abstract

Forward-stimulated Raman scattering can be used to combine multiple broadband pump beams into a single coherent Stokes wave. In this paper, previously derived equations of motion for the Stokes electric field, in the presence of multiple pump waves propagating at slightly different angles with respect to the Stokes propagation direction, are extended and solved for the case of N equivalent overlapping spectrally incoherent pump waves. It is shown that the Raman gain for incoherent beam combining is determined by the gain of an individual pump wave and the maximum average conversion efficiency is only 1/N. The solution form also is applicable for pumping with fully coherent pump waves.

© 1986 Optical Society of America

Coherence properties of Stokes beams for incoherent broadband pumps

Kai J. Drühl
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3(10) 1363-1367 (1986)

Raman conversion using crossed broadband pump beams and bisecting Stokes

D. Korff, E. Mazur, C. Duzy, and A. Flusberg
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3(10) 1333-1337 (1986)

High-power forward Raman amplifiers employing low-pressure gases in light guides. I. Theory and applications

J. P. Partanen and M. J. Shaw
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3(10) 1374-1389 (1986)

Beam cleanup with stimulated Raman scattering in the intensity-averaging regime

J. Reintjes, R. H. Lehmberg, R. S. F. Chang, M. T. Duignan, and G. Calame
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3(10) 1408-1427 (1986)

Phase correlation in a Raman amplifier

Gabriel G. Lombardi and Hagop Injeyan
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3(10) 1461-1465 (1986)