An Experimental Study of a Synchronously Pumped Fibre Raman Oscillator

A synchronously pumped fibre Raman oscillator has been constructed employing a mode-locked c.w. Nd:YAG laser as a pump source and 150 m of single-mode optical fibre as the Raman-active medium. A detailed spectral and temporal study of the laser has been undertaken. Time-dispersion tuning offered an operating spectral range of 1·0725-1·1220 µm for the first Stokes oscillation and 1·149-1·179 µm for the associated second Stokes component. Pulse durations ∼ 100 ps were generated with average output powers of about 40 and 9 mW for the first and second Stokes Raman pulses respectively.