Atom-cavity dynamics in the limit of ultraslow atomic decoherence

Summary form only given. An underlying premise of quantum computing is the preservation of system coherence over long time scales. Here, we report studies of atom-cavity dynamics wherein behavior observed is distinctively related to the ultraslow atomic decoherence found in one such system. In our experiment, the atomic decoherence time is four orders of magnitude longer than the empty-cavity lifetime, making the atomic coherence the longest-lived system parameter. The phenomenon we observe here may be loosely thought of as cavity-mediated self-driven optical nutation, i.e., optical nutation driven by the active atoms own coherent emission into the cavity mode.