  Three level atom optics (TLAO) is introduced as a simple, efficient and
robust method to coherently manipulate and transport neutral atoms. The
tunneling interaction among three trapped states allows to realize the spatial
analog of the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP), coherent population
trapping (CPT), and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) techniques.
We investigate a particular implementation in optical microtrap arrays and show
that under realistic parameters the coherent manipulation and transfer of
neutral atoms among dipole traps could be realized in the millisecond range.
