Font Size: 

Through rigorous analysis of all possible oscillatory guided modes propagating in the slab and cylindrical dielectric waveguides with metamaterial cladding, we demonstrate that slow or even stopped light can propagate in the waveguides with specially selected parameters of the metamaterial. We propose the design of linearly tapered waveguides which could lead the propagating light to a complete standstill and validate the structure by full-wave simulation based on finite-difference time-domain method. For practical implementation, we present the possible realizations of the slow light waveguide structures with anisotropic metamaterial cladding which could be realized through multilayer structure with alternating metal and dielectric films, or isotropic metamaterial cladding consisting of plasmonic materials.