Novel linear and nonlinear optical properties of electromagnetically induced transparency systems

We describe some interesting linear and nonlinear optical properties of three-level electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) systems, such as absorption reduction, sharp dispersion change, and enhanced Kerr nonlinearity. These novel optical properties are very useful in enhancing efficient nonlinear optical processes, which can find applications in optoelectronic devices. We present some experiments done in our group in the past few years with three-level atomic systems, especially more recent experiments with EIT medium inside an optical cavity.