Theory of hyper-Raman scattering in gases

A theory of the hyper-Raman scattering in gases is considered. Allowance for the polarization features of the scattering process shows that it is preferable to use circularly polarized radiation as the pump wave. It is shown that the nuclear contribution to the nonlinear polarizability of molecules may increase considerably the efficiency of the hyper-Raman scattering when an infrared laser is used as a pump source.