  Time-domain observations of coherent oscillations between quantum states in
mesoscopic superconducting systems were so far restricted to restoring the
time-dependent probability distribution from the readout statistics. We propose
a new method for direct observation of Rabi oscillations in a phase qubit. The
external source, typically in GHz range, induces transitions between the qubit
levels. The resulting Rabi oscillations of supercurrent in the qubit loop are
detected by a high quality resonant tank circuit, inductively coupled to the
phase qubit. Detailed calculation for zero and non-zero temperature are made
for the case of persistent current qubit. According to the estimates for
dephasing and relaxation times, the effect can be detected using conventional
rf circuitry, with Rabi frequency in MHz range.
