Quenching of the forward Stokes by phase matching in a Raman-active medium is revisited. A parameter range is identified where the small signal gain of the forward Stokes is a decreasing function of the pump intensity. The relevance of this effect to the reduction of the troublesome second Stokes in a Raman laser-pulse compressor is also discussed.
A simple method is presented for graphically comparing results from one-dimensional (plane wave) and two-dimensional calculations of a laser pulse compression by Raman backscattering. The effects of diffraction, generation of the second (or higher) Stokes pulse, and linear damping of the laser beams are assumed to be negligible.