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Random Raman Lasing: Monte Carlo Simulations to Kilometer-Scale Remote Sensing

Random lasers are a developing class of light sources that utilize a highly disordered gain medium as opposed to a conventional optical cavity. The discovery of random Raman lasing provides a mechanism for remotely generating copious amounts of chemically specific Raman scattered light. The bright nature of random Raman lasing renders directionality unnecessary, allowing for the detection and identification of chemicals from large distances in real time. However, a theoretical understanding of these processes is intractable. Monte Carlo methods have become the gold standard for investigating the properties of light transport in turbid media due to their simple conceptual picture and quantitative agreement with experiment. However, these approaches are limited to the study of linear effects. Thus, to describe the nonlinear dynamics of random Raman lasing a new approach is required. We will introduce the concepts of Monte Carlo simulations and random Raman lasing. Additionally, our approach to modeling nonlinear dynamics within the framework of Monte Carlo simulations will be discussed along with the potential applications of Random Raman lasers to remote sensing.