Fundamentals and applications of slow light in room temperature solids

An overview of recent research aimed at controlling the propagation velocity of light pulses through material systems is presented. Most of the research involves two basic approaches. One approach is to make use of quantum coherence effects, such as electromagnetically induced transparency or coherent population oscillations, to modify the material response at an atomic level. Another approach is to form artificial material, such as photonic crystals, that possess strong dispersive properties which lead to a large modification to the group velocity. Both of these approaches have been successfully pursued in recent years.