Laser control of decay rates in three-level atoms

Summary form only given. In three-level atoms the drastic modification of the decay rates by the driving field may occur in the free space as soon as one dynamic Stark level crosses a neighboring unperturbed atomic energy state. This leads to appearance of spontaneous emission from the former ground state to the lower dynamic Stark level or spontaneous decay from the upper dynamic Stark level to the excited atomic state. For an experimental realization we propose to use a cell with potassium (/sup 39/K) vapor in magnetic field driven on D1-transition by circular polarized radiation of Ti:sapphire or dye laser.