This school follows the previous schools in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009. This pre-doctoral school will be held in Les Houches from September 12-24th, 2010. The title of the school is *Ultracold Atoms, Metrology and Quantum Optics* It consists in a two week master course on the physics of cold dilute atomic systems, with its applications in Metrology and in Quantum Optics. The course is targeted at the advanced undergraduate level and emphasizes formal lectures building on textbook knowledge. This goal meets the requirements of the Les Houches pre-doctoral school program. The course is intended for PhD students in their first or second year. Undergraduates at the European Masters level who are planning a PhD study are also invited to apply. Young post-docs entering the field can also apply.

The lectures will be given (in English) :
Introduction : Claude Cohen-Tannoudji (1 lecture)
Part I : From cold atoms to degenerate gases (15 lectures) - Hélène Perrin (5 lectures) Laser Cooling - Gora Shlyapnikov (5 lectures) Degenerate quantum gases - Jook Walraven (5 lectures) Thermodynamics and Collisions in Trapped Atomic Gases
Part II : Metrology (10 lectures) - Saïda Guellati (5 lectures) Introduction to metrology - Ekkehard Peik (3 lectures) Frequency standards with trapped ions - Ernst Rasel (2 lectures) Atomic inertial sensors
Part III : Quantum Optics (9 lectures) - Elisabeth Giacobino (3 lectures) Introduction to quantum optics - Gerd Leuchs (2 lectures) Temporal and spectral properties of quantum light - Igor Sokolov (2 lectures) Light scattering and localization in atomic ensembles - Victor Balykin (2 lectures) Nano-optics and atom nano-optics

The course has been initiated several years ago by the International Cold Atom Network, InterCAN (http://www.intercan.org), which is promoting European collaboration of research and education in the field of dilute atomic and molecular quantum systems. INTERCAN is supported by the European funding agencies CORDIS (Community Research & Development Information Service), and ESF (European Science Foundation).

As for the previous edition, the school is also supported by the "Institut Francilien de Recherches sur les atomes froids (IFRAF)" (http://www.ifraf.org/). An important objective of IFRAF is to reinforce French teams involved in cutting edge researches in a highly competitive field, and to allow the French researchers to create cooperative links with similar centres of excellence now developing abroad.

We think the topics of the school falls in your area. And you have probably a (or more) student starting his/her PhD who can benefit from the planned lectures. The school is also open to young Post-Docs who are entering the field (to maintain a coherent educational level of the participants, applications from experienced post-docs will be considered at the end of the selection process).

The deadline for applications is June 20th. The selection of the applicants will be done during the first week of July.