Atomic coherence

Atomic coherence is the result of interaction between light and atoms, and is responsible for many important physical effects. In this review we describe various phenomena caused by atomic coherence, including electromagnetically induced transparency, coherent hole burning, double dark states, vacuum-induced coherence, optical signal storage based on stimulated Raman adiabatic passage, optical information transfer and erasure between two light channels, and so forth. We also discuss their application potential.