Slow and Stored Light in Atomic Ensembles

Recent laboratory demonstrations have shown that the propagation of light pulses can be greatly slowed down, and even effectively halted and re-started, using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in atomic ensembles, both warm and cold. In this talk I will discuss the concepts behind such ``slow" and ``stored" light, including similarities to other, well-known physical phenomena. I will also describe the status of ongoing experiments that seek to optimize and apply slow and stored light, e.g., to quantum communication.