The absorption spectrum of a gas with a large Doppler width and soft collisions between particles is studied. The particles are assumed to have a nonlinear dependence of the resonance frequency on velocity. The shape of the narrow peak in the spectrum resulting from an extremum of this dependence is calculated analytically for the first time. In the absence of collisions it has a characteristic asymmetric shape. Collisions are shown to broaden the line and change its shape. The profile of the probe-field spectrum is obtained for a three-level system with the strong field at an adjacent transition. The components of the Autler-Townes doublet are found to spread and repel each other because of collisions.
The probe field spectrum of a three-level A scheme with a strong standing wave at the adjacent transition is calculated numerically taking into account velocity-varying collisions. It is shown that even a small population of the upper level changes the shape of the spectrum and increases the absorption in the line center. Taking into account the excitation of the level and the saturation of the adjacent transition allows a quantitative explanation of the experiment on argon ions in plasma of a high-current discharge.