Two-dimensional model for femtosecond pulse conversion and compression using high-order stimulated Raman scattering in solid hydrogen

We present a numerical model for the interaction of a femtosecond probe pulse with a Raman medium excited by two nanosecond laser pulses in solid hydrogen. The model consists of a solution of a system of Bloch equations (for the medium state) and of the two-dimensional wave equation (for the field propagation). It is shown that by optimizing the tilt angle between the two driving pulses and the interaction length, the power of the probe pulse can be converted either into a quasicontinuous broadband spectrum or into a selected high-order sideband. The first situation can be used for generation of subfemtosecond pulses. The second situation can be used for the wavelength conversion of a femtosecond probe pulse from the infrared to the ultraviolet region. Due to the transfer of energy from the driving pulses, the energy conversion efficiency of these processes (with respect to the probe pulse) can be larger than unity.