Does transmission of a weak optical pulse in a dense absorption medium require quantization of the optical field?

We present an analysis of the transmission of a weak optical pulse, with energy 1 ℏ ω 0 , through a dense absorbing medium with absorption frequency ω 0 . We analyze the system by treating the optical pulse classically and the absorbing medium quantum mechanically. We find that the probabilistic back reaction of the quantum absorber on the classical pulse impresses statistical behavior on the pulse that does not arise from quantization of the optical field. All properties of the optical transmission and atomic absorption are self-consistent without contradiction. Issues relating to conservation of energy are resolved by considering the impact of superposition states on conservation laws in individual interactions. As a result, we conclude that transmission of a weak optical pulse with energy 1 ℏ ω 0 through a dense atomic absorber does not require quantization of the field.