  CW generation of anti-Stokes Raman laser on a number of blue-green argon-ion
lines (4p-4s, 4p-3d) has been demonstrated with optical pumping from metastable
levels 3d'^2G, 3d^4F. It is found, that the population transfer rate is
increased by a factor of 3-5 (and hence, the output power of such Raman laser)
owing to Coulomb diffusion in the velocity space. Measured are the excitation
and relaxation rates for the metastable level. The Bennett hole on the
metastable level has been recorded using the probe field technique. It has been
shown that the Coulomb diffusion changes shape of the contour to exponential
cusp profile while its width becomes 100 times the Lorentzian one and reaches
values close to the Doppler width. Such a giant broadening is also confirmed by
the shape of the absorption saturation curve.
