LIGHT-SCATTERING BY TRAPPED 3-LEVEL ATOMS

We study the scattering of the probe light beam by randomly distribute d strongly pumped atoms in a pencil-like medium. The density of atoms is assumed to be small (of the order of one atom per light wavelength) , therefore the medium formed by the atoms cannot be treated as a cont inuous one. Such a configuration of atoms can be practically realized in atomic traps. We show that intensity of the scattered light increas es with the third power of the probe beam intensity and with the secon d power of the number of atoms. We also show that under certain condit ions the light is scattered into few cones.