The velocity of light in vacuum, c, is approximately 3 × 108 m s–1, fast enough to make 7.5 round-the-world trips in a single second, and to move a distance of 300 mm in 1 ns. This ultrahigh speed is advantageous for efficient data transmission between two points, whether they are separated on a global scale or on a single chip; however, it also makes control of optical signals in the time doma...

The problem of slowing down light by orders of magnitude has been extensively discussed in the literature. Such a possibility can be useful in a variety of optical and microwave applications. Many qualitatively different approaches have been explored. Here we discuss how this goal can be achieved in linear dispersive media, such as photonic crystals. The existence of slowly propagating electrom...