title: Rabi oscillations revival induced by time reversal: a test of mesoscopic quantum coherence.
abstract: Using an echo technique proposed by Morigi et al., we have time-reversed the atom-field interaction in a cavity quantum electrodynamics experiment. The collapse of the atomic Rabi oscillation in a coherent field is reversed, resulting in an induced revival signal. The amplitude of this "echo" is sensitive to nonunitary decoherence processes. Its observation demonstrates the existence of a mesoscopic quantum superposition of field states in the cavity between the collapse and the revival times.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Département de Physique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24 rue Lhomond, F-75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meunier
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gleyzes
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maioli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Auffeves
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nogues
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brune
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Raimond
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haroche