Rabi oscillations revival induced by time reversal: A test of mesoscopic quantum coherence

Using an echo technique proposed by Morigi et al. [Phys. Rev. A 65, 040102 (2002)], 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.