Effective Conservation and Bistability of Atomic Alignment under Strong Spin~Exchange

Abstract: We present a phenomenological model of anomalous alignment signals in dense cesium vapor under linearly polarized pumping and fast spin exchange near zero magnetic field. Despite the absence of a conservation law for rank-2 angular momentum, our recent experiments reveal anisotropic narrow resonances, hysteresis, and bistability. We attribute these effects to a stretched state forming a collective mode in which orientation and alignment are bidirectionally coupled. This mode acts as a reservoir, preserving the essential properties of alignment despite rapid spin exchange.