We put forward several inherently quantum characteristics of the dwell time, and propose an operational method to detect them. The quantum dwell time is pointed out to be a conserved quantity, totally bypassing Paulis theorem. Furthermore, the quantum dwell time in a region for one dimensional motion is doubly degenerate. In presence of a potential barrier, the dwell time becomes bounded, unlike the classical quantity. By using off-resonance coupling to a laser we propose an operational method to measure the absorption by a complex potential, and thereby the average time spent by an incoming atom in the laser region.
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