Efficient generation of collimated frequency upconversion blue light in rubidium vapor

Pulsed collimated blue light at 420.3 nm is generated in hot Rb vapor by upconverting the 778.10 nm pumping beam through four wave mixing process. The energy conversion efficiency exceeds 1% when a 45 cm-long, 170°C heated Rb cell is used. The influence of cell temperature, wavelength, and energy of a pumping laser are fully examined. The efficiency of the photon conversion is found to be more sensitive to the blue detuning of the pump light and less sensitive to the red detuning of the pump light. This phenomenon can be explained by stimulated hyper-Raman scattering involved in the four-wave mixing process.