We study propagation of light in a Fermi-Dirac gas. We analytically obtain the leading density correction to the optical linewidth at zero temperature. This correction is a direct consequence of the quantum statistical correlations of atomic positions that modify the optical interactions between the atoms at small interatomic separations. The gas exhibits a dramatic line narrowing already at very low densities.

• Received 15 December 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.4741