  Precise control of atom-light interactions is vital to many quantum
information protocols. In particular, atomic systems can be used to slow and
store light to form a quantum memory. Optical storage can be achieved via
stopped light, where no optical energy remains in the atoms, or as stationary
light, where some optical energy remains resent during storage. In this work,
we demonstrate a form of self-stabilising stationary light. From any initial
state, our atom-light system evolves to a stable configuration that is devoid
of coherent emission from the atoms, yet may contain bright optical excitation.
This phenomenon is verified experimentally in a cloud of cold Rb87 atoms. The
spinwave in our atomic cloud is imaged from the side allowing direct comparison
with theoretical predictions.
