Change in Polarization of a Weak Signal Induced by the Optical Pumping of Atoms at an Adjacent Transition

A change in polarization of a weak wave under optical pumping of atoms at an adjacent atomic transition is studied. It is shown that an elliptically polarized probe signal undergoes substantial polarization changes in the field of a circularly polarized pump wave. For the probe wave component with the same circular polarization as that of a strong signal, the medium becomes transparent.