Slow light with three-level atoms in metamaterial waveguides

Metamaterial is promising for enhancing the capability of plasmonic devices. We consider a cylindrical waveguide with three-level \Lambda\ atoms embedded in the dielectric core. By comparing metal cladding vs metamaterial cladding of a waveguide with \Lambda\ atoms in the core, we show that, for a fixed amount of slowing of light due to electromagnetically induced transparency, the metamaterial cladding outperforms in terms of the inherent loss.