Slow light in various media: a tutorial

I consider the physical basics of slow light propagation in atomic media, photonic structures, and optical fibers. I show similarities and differences between all of the above media and develop set of criteria that are then used to compare different media. Special attention is given to dispersion of group velocity and loss, which are shown to limit the bandwidth and delay capacity of all the slow light schemes. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America