Competition between stimulated Raman scattering and parametric oscillation in the resonator of an optical parametric oscillator with an LiIO3 crystal

A report is given of the observation of stimulated Raman scattering inside the resonator of an optical parametric oscillator with an LiIO₃ nonlinear element. It is shown that, under certain conditions, the pump energy can be converted efficiently into the Stokes component of the signal wave in the oscillator. The principal relationships governing the efficiency of this process are found in the quasistatic approximation. An analysis of a simultaneous system of approximate transient equations describing parametric oscillation and stimulated Raman scattering shows that "spiky" emission is possible. The investigated system is a new and promising modification of a Raman laser with a double optical resonator and a tunable excitation source.