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Optical-double-resonance measurements using ionization detection have been carried out in the 3S1/2-3P1/2-4D atomic-sodium system. Asymmetries observed in production of $4D$ atoms from the two components of the Stark-split 3P1/2 state are found to be controlled by the far, very weak wings of the 17-MHz full-width-at-half-maximum laser line which is used to drive the 3S1/2-3P1/2 transition at detunings in the range 0-70 GHz. Suppression of the wings with a Fabry-Perot filter causes a pronounced reversal of the asymmetry.
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Nitz et al. (1981) studied this question.
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