Reinhold, C O

Encoding and decoding phase information in high-n circular wave packets

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally the extraction of detailed information on the density matrix of very-high-n (>300) near-circular Rydberg wave packets through Fourier analysis of the quantum beat and quantum revival signals. The remarkably long coherence times associated with circular wave packets facilitate the preservation and read-out of phase information encoded in this matrix. We illustrate the power of the method by determining the angular localization of the components of a wave packet.