Random Raman lasing

Propagation of light in a highly scattering medium is among the most fascinating optical effect that everyone experiences on an everyday basis and possesses a number of fundamental problems which have yet to be solved. Conventional wisdom suggests that non-linear effects do not play a significant role because the diffusive nature of scattering acts to spread the intensity, dramatically weakening these effects. We demonstrate the first experimental evidence of lasing on a Raman transition in a bulk three-dimensional random media. From a practical standpoint, Raman transitions allow for spectroscopic analysis of the chemical makeup of the sample. A random Raman laser could serve as a bright Raman source allowing for remote, chemically specific, identification of powders and aerosols. Fundamentally, the first demonstration of this new light source opens up an entire new field of study into non-linear light propagation in turbid media, with the most notable application related to non-invasive biomedical imaging.