Maciej Lewenstein

Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO)

Experimental Sciences & Mathematics

Maciej Lewenstein (Warsaw 1955) graduated at Warsaw University in 1978. He joined the Centre for Theoretical Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, where he remained for 15 years, becoming a professor in 1993. He finished his PhD in Essen in 1983 and habilitated in 1986 in Warsaw. He has spent several long term visits at Universitaet Essen, at Harvard University with Roy J. Glauber (Nobel 2005), at Commisariat a l'Énergie Atomique in Saclay and at Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics at Boulder. He was on faculty of CEA in Saclay (1995-1998), of the Leibniz University Hannover (1998-2005). In 2005 he moved to Catalonia as ICREA Research Professor to lead the quantum optics theory at the Institut de Ciències Fotòniques in Castelldefels. His interests include quantum optics, quantum physics, quantum information, attosecond science, and statistical physics. His other passion is jazz and avant-garde music - he is an acclaimed jazz writer and critic.


Research interests

Maciej Lewenstein is a theoretical physicist per se. His research and interests are in the first place extremely diverse. He works on and contributes successfully to very different branches of physics and other sciences. On one side his work deals with purely mathematical questions related to foundations of physics, such as the nature of correlations in quantum systems. On the other extreme, Lewenstein has worked on models of human cognition and human voting behavior. Recently his interests mainly focus on quantum many body physics, quantum information theory, quantum optics, atomic physics, atto-nanophysics, quantum simulators, quantum open systems, statistical physics, Brownian motion theory and its applications to quantum physics, nano- and bio-photonics, or theoretical quantum chemistry and its applications to quantum many body physics. In his research he uses extensively methods of the contemporary theoretical physics. At ICFO Maciej Lewenstein is leading a 22 people team working on the mentioned subjects.

Selected publications

– Jakab D, Szirmai E, Lewenstein M & Szirmai G 2016, ‘Competing valence bond and symmetry-breaking Mott states of spin-3/2 fermions on a honeycomb lattice’, Physical Review B, 93, 6, 064434.

– Grass T, Raventós D, Julia-Díaz B, Gogolin C & Lewenstein M 2016, ‘Quantum annealing for the number-partitioning problem using a tunable spin glass of ions’, Nature Communications, 7, 11524.

– Chhajlany RW, Grzybowski PR, Stasinska J, Lewenstein M & Dutta O 2016, ‘Hidden String Order in a Hole Superconductor with Extended Correlated Hopping’, Physical Review Letters, 116, 22, 225303.

– Streltsov A, Chitambar E, Rana S, Bera MN, Winter A & Lewenstein M 2016, ‘Entanglement and Coherence in Quantum State Merging’, Physical Review Letters, 116, 24, 240405.

– Chitambar E, Streltsov A, Rana S, Bera MN, Adesso G & Lewenstein M 2016, ‘Assisted Distillation of Quantum Coherence’, Physical Review Letters, 116, 7, 070402.

– Celi A, Grass T, Ferris AJ, Padhi B, Raventós D, Simonet J, Sengstock K & Lewenstein M 2016, ‘Modified spin-wave theory and spin-liquid behavior of cold bosons on an inhomogeneous triangular lattice’, Physical Review B 94, 075110.

– Oszmaniec M, Augusiak R, Gogolin C, Kolodynski J, Acín A & Lewenstein M 2016, ‘Random bosonic states for robust quantum metrology’ Physical Review. X 6, 041044.

Lewenstein M 2016, ‘Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond’, 660 pages, second extended edition, Wydawnictwa Drugie, Warszawa, ISBN 978-83-8022-012-6


Selected research activities

In June 2016 the second edition of  Lewenstein’s book, Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond, was published by Wydawnictwa Drugie, Warszawa. This guide describes 1900 disc with Polish jazz and not only.

In March 2016 Lewenstein organized a concert of Tomasz Sta’nko Quartet in Auditori de Liceu, celebrating 20th anniversary of the Nobel Prize for the Polish poet, Wislawa Szymborska. The concert, financed by private sponsors and the Polish consulate, with patronage of ICREA and ICFO. A short documental movie “Physics, Jazz and Poetry” was realized.