  We report experimental investigationd of optical pulse group velocity
reduction and probe pulse regeneration using a Raman scheme. The new scheme
which does not rely on the on-one-photon resonance electromagnetically induced
transparency (EIT), has many advantages over the conventional method which
critically relys on the transparency window created by an EIT process. We
demonstrate significant reduction of group velocity, less probe field loss,
reduced probe pulse distortion, and high probe pulse regeneration efficiency.
