Raman-shifted dye laser for water vapor DIAL measurements

For improved DIAL measurements of water vapor in the upper troposphere or lower stratosphere, we have generated narrowband (~0.03-cm^−1) laser radiation at 720- and 940-nm wavelengths by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) using the narrow linewidth (~0.02-cm^−1) output of a Nd:YAG-pumped dye laser. For a hydrogen pressure of 350 psi, the first Stokes conversion efficiencies to 940 nm were 20% and 35% when using a conventional and waveguide Raman cell, respectively. We measured the linewidth of the first Stokes line at high cell pressures and inferred collisional broadening coefficients that agree well with those previously measured in spontaneous Raman scattering.