Coherent population trapping in an ensemble of three-level atoms in the presence of cooperative relaxation

We derive equations that describe the dynamics of three-level atoms with a cascade system of levels interacting with two resonant coherent fields in conditions where cooperative relaxation dominates over incoherent spontaneous emission. We calculate the temporal dynamics of the values of the atomic populations. The possibility of coherent population trapping in the presence of the cooperative decay is established. Finally, we calculate the averaged population of the intermediate level as a function of detuning for different values of the coupling constant