Distortion-free propagation in a chiral medium using the coherent superposition of atomic states

We propose a scheme for distortion free left/right circularly polarized beams in a chiral atomic medium in a tripod-type configuration using the superposition of atomic states. We measure and control the group index, group velocity and delay and advance times for left/right circularly polarized beams in a transparent chiral atomic medium by varying the population distribution probability in the superposition states. For the left and right circularly polarized beams of the probe field, delay and advance times have been observed at resonance and away from resonance. A negligible distortion and large phase shift in the left/right circularly polarized beams is theoretically investigated in the system. The results show potential applications in telecommunication, cloaking base technology and information processing. (paper)