Measurement of the 6Psub(3/2) lifetime of cesium by means of time-resolved spectroscopy technique

The lifetime of the excited state 6Psub(3/2) of cesium was measured by time resolved spectroscopy technique. To excite cesium atoms we used light pulses obtained from a superradiant cascade in another cesium sample excited to 7Psub(1/2) level. Data were taken over a wide range of vapor densities to allow the effect of radiation trapping to be taken into account. The following value was obtained: tau = (31.8+-0.7) nsec in agreement with previous data. (author)