Generation of 16-μm radiation by four-wave mixing in para-hydrogen

A 16-μm source based upon the combined effects of stimulated rotational Raman scattering and four-wave mixing in gaseous para-hydrogen has been experimentally demonstrated. The input beams were synchronized pulses from a ruby laser and a CO2 TEA laser. Pulses with ∼2 μJ of energy were generated at 627.8 cm-1.