  A scheme for coherent manipulation of collective atomic states is developed
such that total subradiant states, in which spontaneous emission is suppressed
into all directions due to destructive interference between neighbor atoms, can
be created in an extended atomic ensemble. The optimal conditions for creation
of such states and suitability of them for quantum storage are discussed. It is
shown that in order to achieve the maximum signal-to-noise ratio the shape of a
light pulse to be stored and reconstructed using a homogeneously broadened
absorbtion line of an atomic system should be a time-reversed regular part of
the response function of the system. In the limit of high optical density, such
pulses allow one to prepare collective subradiant atomic states with near flat
spatial distribution of the atomic excitation in the medium.
