A method for generating a mesoscopic superposition state of the collective
spin variable of a gas of atoms is proposed. The state consists of a
superposition of the atomic spins pointing in two slightly different
directions. It is obtained by using off resonant light to carry out Quantum Non
Demolition Measurements of the spins. The relevant experimental conditions,
which require very dense atomic samples, can be realized with presently
available techniques. Long-lived atomic superposition states may become useful
as an off-line resource for quantum computing with otherwise linear operations.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. Let