We study the effect of quantum interference on the structure and properties of spontaneous and stimulated transitions in a degenerate V-type three-level atom with an arbitrary total momentum of each state. Explicit expressions for the factors in the terms of the relaxation operator and stimulated transition operator with account of quantum interference effects are obtained. It has been demonstrated that the condition for the dipole transition moments to be parallel is insufficient and for conventional atoms the interference cross terms are zeros for both operators. The conditions when quantum interference influences the properties of the relaxation operators have been analysed. For the stimulated transitions this condition is shown to be anisotropy of the photon field interacting with the atoms. This case is minutely studied for the D-line of alkali metals.
Recollections are reported about the attitude of N.G. Basov to the problem of coherence of stimulated transitions at the very beginning of studies devoted the creation of masers and lasers. It is shown that the problem of coherence of stimulated transitions can be solved in a multiparticle system. The role of stimulated transitions in a variety of processes proceeding in the nature is discussed. The contribution of N.G. Basov and his school to the development of quantum electronics and laser physics is briefly discussed.