  We present a joint theoretical and experimental characterization of the
coherent population trapping (CPT) resonance excited on the D1 line of 87Rb
atoms by bichromatic linearly polarized laser light. We observe high-contrast
transmission resonances (up to 25%), which makes this excitation scheme
promising for miniature all-optical atomic clock applications. We also
demonstrate cancellation of the first-order light shift by proper choice of the
frequencies and relative intensities of the two laser field components. Our
theoretical predictions are in good agreement with the experimental results.
