Mesoscopic quantum coherences in cavity QED: Preparation and decoherence monitoring schemes

We present several schemes for preparing and detecting coherent superpositions of classically distinct states of the electromagnetic field in one or two high-Q cavities. These proposals are based on two-atom correlation measurements, to be performed on circular Rydberg atoms interacting dispersively with the cavity fields. Changing the time interval between the two detected atoms allows a monitoring of the decay of quantum coherence due to dissipation. © 1996 The American Physical Society.