We study resonance redistribution mechanisms inside a hot vapor cell. This is achieved by pumping cesium atoms on the 6S→6P resonance and subsequently probing the velocity distribution of the 6P population by a linear absorption experiment on the 6P→16S or 6P→15D transitions at 514 nm and 512 nm, respectively. We demonstrate that despite the existence of thermalization processes, traces of the initial velocity selection, imposed by the pump, survive in hyperfine levels of the intermediate (6P) state.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF