Abstract

Resonance radiation can be absorbed and reemitted many times in an atomic vapor before it reaches the boundary of the vapor cell. This effect is known as "radiation trapping"; it is of great importance in spectroscopy and atomic physics. Most papers dealing with trapping consider a two-level atom and assume that the problem is linear (i.e., no saturation effects occur). In this contribution, we will consider a nonlinear 3-level system and also take particle diffusion into account.

© 1994 IEEE