  We demonstrate the controlled generation of Fock states with up to 15 photons
in a microwave coplanar waveguide resonator coupled to a superconducting phase
qubit. The subsequent decay of the Fock states, due to dissipation, is then
monitored by varying the time delay between preparing the state and performing
a number-state analysis. We find that the decay dynamics can be described by a
master equation where the lifetime of the n-photon Fock state scales as 1/n, in
agreement with theory. We have also generated a coherent state in the microwave
resonator, and monitored its decay process. We demonstrate that the coherent
state maintains a Poisson distribution as it decays, with an average photon
number that decreases with the same characteristic decay time as the one-photon
Fock state.
