An anti-Stokes Raman up-converter is disclosed which is capable of up- converting a variety of conventional laser sources. A metal-halide, for example, thallium chloride or thallium iodide, is employed as a lasing medium, and is photodissociated to create a population inversion in a metastable state of the metal ion. An excimer laser, for example, and ArF* or KrF* excimer laser, may be employed to photodissociate the metal- halide in accordance with the present invention. Alternatively, an excimer flashlamp, for example a ArF* or KrF* flashlamp, may be employed to photodissociate the metal-halide in accordance with the present invention. A conventional laser source, for example a CO.sub.2 laser or any harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser, is subsequently employed to pump the population inversion from the metastable state to a virtual level near an intermediate state. Anti- Stokes Raman lasing occurs from this virtual state, where the lasing frequency is greater than the frequency of the conventional laser pump source.
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