Alice Sinatra

Work Address

Work address:
Laboratoire Kastler Brossel
Physics Department
Ecole Normale Supérieure   
24, rue Lhomond
75231 Paris
FRANCE

Office: P1b first floor
Phone: +33 1 44 32 25 72
FAX:  +33 1  44 32 34 34
Email: alice.sinatra@lkb.ens.fr

Education:

Habilitation, Paris VI University, 2006.
http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00117282.
Ph.D. in Physics, University of Milan ITALY,  1997
Thesis Advisor: Prof. Luigi Lugiato
Thesis Title: Quantum noise control in nonlinear optical systems using two-photon transitions
Laurea in Physics, University of Milan, ITALY, 1993. Grade: 110/110 cum laude

Work Experience:

Research Interests:

Bose-Einstein condensates

My recent theoretical studies deal with phase coherence and finite temperature properties of Bose-Einstein condensates. We developed classical field methods to describe a degenerate Bose gas including thermal and possibly quantum fluctuations. We then applied these methods to different problems as for example the nucleation and crystallization of a vortex lattice in a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate, or the spreading in time of the condensate phase. With Emilia Witkowska and Yvan Castin, we could show that the condensate phase spreads ballistically in time at finite temperature and we calculated the coefficient of phase spreading using a quantum extention of the classical concept of ergodicity in the system.
Presently I am working with Li Yun on the use of condensates to produce non-trivial quantum states of the atomic field such as spin-squeezed states and Schrodinger cats, and on the impact of decoherence, due to finite temperature and particle losses, in theses systems.

Quantum optics

In the past I worked with Philippe Grangier and his group on Quantum Non Demolition Measurements using cold atoms in an optical cavity, and on the generation of squeezed light with Luigi Lugiato in Milan. More recently, with Gaël Reinaudi, Frank Laloë and the quantum optics group of Michel Pinard and Elisabeth Giacobino, we made a theoretical proposal for a long-lived quantum memory using nuclear spins of He3. Spin-polarization of Helium-3 by optical pumping and metastability exchange collisions has been used since many years in our Laboratory, and we could show that the same technique could be used to transfer quantum correlations of the light to the spins (and back).

Optical pumping of helium-3 for medical application

Polarized helium-3 can be used for imaging human lungs by nuclear magnetic resonance. http://www.lkb.ens.fr/recherche/flquant/index.html.
The gas is usually polarized by metastability exchange optical pumping at low pressure and then compressed to atmospheric pressure to be inhaled. With Marie Abboud, Pierre-Jean Nacher, Geneviève Tastevin and Xavier Maitre, we demonstrated a new optical pumping scheme at high magnetic field allowing to prepare highly polarized samples of He3 directly at relatively high pressure (up to almost 100 times the usual pressure for metastability exchange optical pumping).

Invited Talks in international conferences and symposia:


Colloquia and General Seminars :


Numerous other talks and seminars at many locations, including: University of Milan, University of Dijon (France), Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, Jagellonian University in Krakow, University of Como (Italy), Nanjing University(2007, 2008), East China Normal University in Shanghai (2007), Aarhus University (2008).

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