  We propose and analyze a scheme for photon trapping in an optical resonator
coupled with two-level atoms. We show that when the cavity is excited by two
identical light fields from two ends of the cavity respectively, the output
light from the cavity is suppressed while the intra-cavity light field is near
the maximum due to the excitation of the polariton state of the coupled cavity
and atom system. We also present methods for the direct probing of the trapped
polariton state. The photon trapping is manifested by the destructive
interference of the transmitted light and the incident light. Such photon
trapping is quite generic and should be observable experimentally in a variety
of cavity quantum electrodynamics systems.
