Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Electrodynamical coupling'

The polar electric potential imposed on the ionosphere by coupling between the earthâ s magnetosphere and the solar wind has been shown to have a non-linear response to the interplanetary electric field (IEF). This dissertation presents an empirical study of this polar cap potential saturation phenomenon. First, the saturation of the reverse convection potential under northward is demonstrated using bin-averaged SuperDARN data. Then, the saturation reverse convection potential is shown to saturate at a higher value at higher solar wind plasma beta. The reverse convection flow velocity is then compared with cross-polar cap flows under southward IMF under summer, winter and equinox conditions. It is demonstrated that the reverse convection flow exhibits the opposite seasonal behavior to cross polar cap flow under southward IMF. Then, an interhemispheric case study is performed to provide an explanation for the seasonal behavior of the reverse convection potential. It is found using DMSP particle precipitation data that the reverse convection cells in the winter circulate at least partially on closed field lines. Finally, SuperDARN and DMSP data are merged to provide polar cap potential measurements for a statistical study of polar cap potential saturation under southward IMF. It is found that the extent of polar cap potential saturation increases with increasing Alfvenic Mach number, and has no significant relation to Alfven wing transmission coefficient or solar wind dynamic pressure.<br>Ph. D.

The implementation of a continuum model for the simulation of interstrand coupling currents and the corresponding AC losses in superconducting Rutherford cables, due to electrodynamic transients, is performed. To obtain the necessary level of detail, the electrical model takes into account possible longitudinal variations of the contact conductance. A convergence study is performed to derive the minimum number of mesh elements required. The model is validated comparing loss values per cable twist pitch with the ones obtained through analytical formulae present in literature; an excellent agreement is found. Conclusions are drawn regarding the choice of the boundary conditions and the minimum length of the cable sample, to simulate the behavior of real long cables. In order to suppress losses, a resistive core is inserted in the cable and this strategy is implemented in the model. Induced currents and losses distributions in cables with core are derived and compared with the uncored case; conclusions are drawn about the choice of core width, placement and electrical resistance, to maximize its effect. The model presented is suitable to simulate cables behavior with or without core and subjected to uniform time-varying magnetic fields, considering different geometrical and electrical characteristic.

Cette thèse présente une étude exploratoire de plusieurs aspects du couplage fort lumière-matière dans des matériaux moléculaires. Différentes propriétés héritées d’un tel couplage sont démontrées, ouvrant de nombreuses possibilités d’applications, allant du transfert d’énergie à la génération de signaux optiques non-linéaires et à l’élaboration de réseaux polaritoniques chiraux. Au travers des thématiques abordées, l’idée d’un couplage lumière-matière entrant en compétition avec les différentes fréquences de dissipation des molécules se révèle être cruciale. Ainsi, la prédominance du couplage cohérent au champ électromagnétique apparaît comme un moyen de modifier les propriétés quantiques des états moléculaires, ouvrant la voie à une nouvelle chimie des matériaux en cavité<br>This thesis presents an exploratory study of several aspects of strong light-matter coupling in molecular materials. Different properties inherited from such a coupling are demonstrated, opening the way to numerous applications, ranging from energy transfer to the generation of non-linear optical signals and to the development of chiral polaritonic networks. Through the topics covered, the idea of a light-matter coupling strength competing with the different frequencies of relaxation of the molecules proves to be crucial. Thus, the predominance of the coherent coupling to the electromagnetic field appears as a new mean of modifying the quantum properties of molecular systems, opening the way to a new chemistry of materials in optical cavities

We used extensive measurements made by the Jicamarca Unattended Long-Term Investigations of the Ionosphere and Atmosphere (JULIA) and Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) systems at Jicamarca, Peru during geomagnetic quiet conditions to determine the climatologies of lunar tidal effects on equatorial vertical plasma drifts. We use, for the first time, the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm to derive the amplitudes and phases of the semimonthly and monthly lunar tidal perturbations. Our results indicate, as expected, lunar tidal effects can significantly modulate the equatorial plasma drifts. The local time and seasonal dependent phase progression has been studied in much more detail than previously and has shown to have significant variations from the average value. The semimonthly drift amplitudes are largest during December solstice and smallest during June solstice during the day, and almost season independent at night. The monthly lunar tidal amplitudes are season independent during the day, while nighttime monthly amplitudes are largest and smallest in December solstice and autumnal equinox, respectively. The monthly and semimonthly amplitudes decrease from early morning to afternoon and evening to morning with moderate to large increases near dusk and dawn. We also examined these perturbation drifts during periods of sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs). Our results show, for the first time, the enhancements of the lunar semimonthly tidal effects associated with SSWs to occur at night, as well as during the day. Our results also indicate during SSWs, monthly tidal effects are not enhanced as strongly as the semimonthly effects.

Ce travail de thèse est centré autour de deux aspects des technologies quantiques: le calcul quantique et la mesure quantique. Il s'appuie sur la boîte à outils de la lumière micro-onde, développé en électrodynamique quantique, pour sonder des circuits mésoscopiques. Ces circuits, fabriqués ici à base de nanotubes de carbone, peuvent être conçus comme des bits quantiques ou comme des systèmes modèles de la matière condensée, et cette thèse explore les deux aspects. La réalisation d'une interface spin-photon cohérente illustre le premier. L'expérience repose sur l'utilisation de contacts ferro-magnétiques pour induire un couplage spin-orbit artificiel dans une double boîte quantique. Ce couplage hybride les degrés de liberté de charge et de spin de l'électron. En incluant ce circuit dans une cavité micro-onde, dont le champ électrique peut être couplé à la charge, nous réalisons une interface spin-photon. Un second projet est centré sur l'utilisation de boîtes quantiques comme systèmes modèles. Ce projet consiste à coupler, via une cavité micro-onde, un qubit supraconducteur, qui servira de sonde peu invasive, et une boîte quantique unique. Un tel circuit peut exhiber différent comportement dont l'effet Kondo, qui est un effet à N-corps. Dans ce travail, nous présentons à la fois une étude théorique, et des travaux expérimentaux. Finalement, un travail en collaboration, sur une proposition théorique pour détecter le caractère auto-adjoint des fermions de Majorana en utilisant une cavité micro-onde, est présenté<br>This thesis work is centered around two key aspects of quantum technologies: quantum information processing and quantum sensing. It builds up onto the microwave light toolbox, developed in circuit quantum electrodynamics, to investigate the properties of mesosocopic circuits. Those circuits, made out here of carbon nanotubes, can be designed to act as quantum bits of information or as condensed matter model system and this thesis explore both aspects. The realization of a coherent spin-photon interface illustrates the first one. The experiment relies on ferromagnetic contacts to engineer an artificial spin-orbit coupling in a double quantum dot. This coupling hybridizes the spin and the charge degree of freedom of the electron in this circuit. By embedding this circuit into a microwave cavity, whose electrical field can be coupled to the charge, we realize an artificial spin-photon interface. A second project, started during this thesis, focuses on using quantum dot circuits as model systems. This project consists in coupling, via a microwave cavity, a superconducting qubit, that will serve as a delicate probe, and single quantum dot circuit. Such a circuit can display several behaviors including the Kondo effect which is intrinsically a many-body effect. In this work, we present both a theoretical study of some possible outcomes of this experiment, and experimental developments. Finally, a theoretical proposition to detect the self-adjoint character of Majorana fermions using a microwave cavity, is presented

Strong coupling of light and matter is an essential element of cavity quantum electrodynamics (cavity-QED) and quantum optics, which may lead to novel mixed states of light and matter and to applications such as quantum computation. In the strong-coupling regime, where the coupling strength exceeds the dissipation, the light-matter interaction produces a characteristic vacuum Rabi splitting. Therefore, strong coupling can be utilized as an effective coherent interface between light and matter (in the form of electron charge, spin or superconducting Cooper pairs) to achieve components of quantum information technology including quantum memory, teleportation, and quantum repeaters. Semiconductor quantum dots, nuclear spins and paramagnetic spin systems are only some of the material systems under investigation for strong coupling in solid-state physics. Mixed states of light and matter coupled via electric dipole transitions often suffer from short coherence times (nanoseconds). Even though magnetic transitions appear to be intrinsically more quantum coherent than orbital transitions, their typical coupling strengths have been estimated to be much smaller. Hence, they have been neglected for the purposes of quantum information technology. However, we predict that strong coupling is feasible between photons and a ferromagnetic nanomagnet, due to exchange interactions that cause very large numbers of spins to coherently lock together with a significant increase in oscillator strength while still maintaining very long coherence times. In order to examine this new exciting possibility, the interaction of a ferromagnetic nanomagnet with a single photonic mode of a cavity is analyzed in a fully quantum-mechanical treatment. Exceptionally large quantum-coherent magnet-photon coupling with coupling terms in excess of several THz are predicted to be achievable in a spherical cavity of ∼ 1 mm radius with a nanomagnet of ∼ 100 nm radius and ferromagnet resonance frequency of ∼ 200 GHz. This should substantially exceed the coupling observed in solids between orbital transitions and light. Eigenstates of the nanomagnet-photon system correspond to entangled states of spin orientation and photon number over 105 values of each quantum number. Initial coherent state of definite spin and photon number evolve dynamically to produce large coherent oscillations in the microwave power with exceptionally long dephasing times of few seconds. In addition to dephasing, several decoherence mechanisms including elementary excitation of magnons and crystalline magnetic anisotropy are investigated and shown to not substantially affect coherence upto room temperature. For small nanomagnets the crystalline magnetic anisotropy of the magnet strongly localize the eigenstates in photon and spin number, quenching the potential for coherent states and for a sufficiently large nanomagnet the macrospin approximation breaks down and different domains of the nanomagnet may couple separately to the photonic mode. Thus the optimal nanomagnet size is predicted to be just below the threshold for failure of the macrospin approximation. Moreover, it is shown that initially unentangled coherent states of light (cavity field) and spin (nanomagnet spin orientation) can be phase-locked to evolve into a coherent entangled states of the system under the influence of strong coupling.

Dans cette thèse, nous étudions des circuits de boîtes quantiques à base de nanotubes de carbone intégrés dans une cavité micro-onde. Cette architecture générale permet de sonder le circuit en utilisant simultanément des mesures de transport et des techniques propre au domaine de l’Electrodynamique quantique sur circuit. Les deux expériences réalisées durant cette thèse exploitent la capacité des métaux de contact à induire des corrélations de spins dans les boites quantiques. La première expérience est l’étude d’une lame s´séparatrice à paires de Cooper, initialement imaginée comme une source d’électrons intriqués. Le couplage du circuit aux photons dans la cavité permet de sonder la dynamique interne du circuit, et a permis d’observer des transitions de charge habillées par le processus de séparation des paires de Cooper. Le couplage fort entre une transition de charge dans un circuit de boîtes quantiques et des photons en cavité, a été observée pour la première fois dans ce circuit. Une nouvelle technique de fabrication a aussi été développé pour intégrer un nanotube de carbone cristallin au sein du circuit de boîtes quantiques. La pureté et l’accordabilité de cette nouvelle génération de circuit a rendu possible la seconde expérience. Cette dernière utilise deux vannes de spins non colinéaire afin de produire une interface cohérente entre le spin d’un électron dans une double boite quantique, et un photon dans une cavité. Des transitions de spins très cohérentes ont été observée, et nous donnons un modèle sur l’origine de la décohérence du spin comprenant le bruit en charge et les fluctuations des spins nucléaires<br>In this thesis, we study carbon nanotubes based quantum dot circuits embedded in a microwave cavity. This general architecture allows one to simultaneously probe the circuit via quantum transport measurements and using circuit quantum electrodynamics techniques. The two experiments realized in this thesis use metallic contacts of the circuit as a resource to engineer a spin sensitive spectrum in the quantum dots. The first one is a Cooper pair splitter which was originally proposed as a source of non local entangled electrons. By using cavity photons as a probe of the circuit internal dynamics, we observed a charge transition dressed by coherent Cooper pair splitting. Strong charge-photon coupling in a quantum dot circuit was demonstrated for the first time in such a circuit. A new fabrication technique has also been developed to integrate pristine carbon nanotubes inside quantum dot circuits. The purity and tunability of this new generation of devices has made possible the realization of the second experiment. In the latter, we uses two non-collinear spin-valves to create a coherent interface between an electronic spin in a double quantum dot and a photon in a cavity. Highly coherent spin transitions have been observed. We provide a model for the decoherence based on charge noise and nuclear spin fluctuations

Apresento neste trabalho uma derivação alternativa da hamiltoniana efetiva para um elétron na banda de condução de uma heteroestrutura semicondutora de rede Zincblende. Partindo do modelo de Kane 8 × 8 e da aproximação das funções envelope, esta hamiltoniana efetiva foi obtida com a linearização dos denominadores (dependentes das autoenergias) presentes na equação para a banda de condução, sob a hipótese de que o gap de energia seja muito maior que todas as demais diferenças de energia envolvidas (verdade para a maioria das estruturas Zincblende). A partir de um procedimento introduzido previamente1,3, desenvolvi um procedimento mais geral que implementa sistematicamente esta linearização até segunda ordem no inverso do gap de energia e que corrige a normalização do spinor da banda de condução usando as bandas de valência. Este procedimento é idêntico à expansão em série de potência no inverso da velocidade da luz utilizada para se obter aproximações relativísticas da equação de Dirac. Uma vantagem deste procedimento é a arbitrariedade na forma dos potenciais, o que implica na validade da hamiltoniana resultante para poços, fios e pontos quânticos. Evidencio também as consequências de cada termo desta hamiltoniana efetiva para os autoestados eletrônicos em poços retangulares, incluindo termos independentes de spin inéditos (Darwin e interação momento linearcampo elétrico). Estes resultados estão de acordo com os estudos anteriores4. A fim de estudar transições ópticas dentro da banda de condução, mostro que o acoplamento mínimo pode ser realizado diretamente na hamiltoniana de Kane se os campos externos variam tão lentamente quanto as funções envelope. Repetindo a linearização dos denominadores de energia, derivo uma hamiltoniana efetiva para a banda de condução com acoplamentos elétron-fótons. Um destes acoplamentos, induzido exclusivamente pela banda de valência, origina transições mediadas pelo spin eletrônico. Estas transições assistidas por spin possibilitam mudanças, opticamente induzidas, na orientação do spin eletrônico, um fato que talvez possa ser útil na construção de dispositivos spintrônicos. Por fim, as taxas de transição deste acoplamento apresentam saturação e linhas de máximos e mínimos no espaço recíproco. Espero que estas acoplamentos ópticos possam auxiliar na observação dos efeitos dos acoplamentos spin-órbita intra (Rashba) e intersubbandas.<br>In this work, I present an alternative derivation of the conduction band effective hamiltonian for Zincblende semiconductor heterostructures. Starting from the 8×8 Kane model and envelope function approximation, this effective hamiltonian was obtained by means of a linearization in the eigenenergy-dependent denominators present the conduction band equation, under the hypothesis that the energy gap is bigger than any other energy difference in the system (true for mostly every Zincblende semiconductor bulk or heterostructure). Based on a previous procedure1,3, I have developed a more general procedure that implements sistematicaly (i) this linearization and (ii) renormalizes the conduction band spinor using the valence bands, both (i) and (ii) up to second order in the inverse of the energy gap. This procedure is identical to the expansion in power series of the inverse of the light speed used to derive non-relativistic approximations of the Dirac equation. One advantage of this procedure is the generality of the potentials adopted in our derivation: the same results hold for quantum wells, wires and dots. I show the consequences of each term of this hamiltonian for the electron eigenstates in retangular wells, including novel spin-independent terms (Darwin and linear momentumelectric field couplings). These resulties agree with previous works4. In order to study conduction band optical transitions, I show that the minimal substitution can be performed directly in the Kane hamiltonian if the external fields vary slowly (at least, as slowly as the envelope functions). Repeating the linearization of the energy denominators, I derive a new effective hamiltonian, up to second order in the inverse of the energy gap, with electron-photons couplings. One of these couplings, induced exclusively by the valence bands, gives rise to optical transitions mediated by the electron spin. This spin-assisted coupling enable optically-induced spin flipps in conduction subband transitions, which can be useful in the construction of spintronic devices. Finaly, the spin-assisted transitions rates show saturation and lines of maxima and minima in the reciprocal lattice. I hope that these optical couplings can be of any help in the observation of interesting effects induced by the intra and intersubband spin-orbit coupling.

Cet exposé est scindé en deux grandes parties. Dans la première, nous estimons des constantes photo-physiques du saphir dopé au titane à partir d'un modèle analytique simple exploitant une théorie de Huang-Rhys pour la détermination du profil spectral des bandes simples et une hypothèse réaliste de superposition de ces dernières. Nous déterminons une formule pour l'indice de réfraction total du Ti:saphir en fonction de la concentration de dopant. Dans une seconde partie, nous évaluons, selon la vérification d'un concept, la capacité de laser sana inversion de populations pour un cristal dopé possédant une basse symétrie. Nous appuyons notre démonstration en établissant une condition de seuil généralisée d'effet laser. Ce concept pourrait être une rupture technologique dans le domaine des grands cristaux dopés et n'a pas encore été investigué par la communauté<br>This presentation is split into two main parts. In the first, we estimate photo-physical constants of titanium doped sapphire from a simple analytical model using a Huang-Rhys theory for the determination of the spectral profile of simple bands and from a realistic hypothesis of superposition of the latter. We define a formula for the total refractive index of Ti:sapphire as a function of dopant concentration. In a second part, we evaluate, according to the verification of a concept, the laser capability without population inversion for a doped crystal with low symmetry. We support our demonstration by establishing a generalized laser threshold condition. This concept would be a technological breakthrough in the field of large doped crystals and has not yet been investigated by the community

Dans cette thèse, nous avons étudié des nanocircuits à base de nanotubes de carbone intégrées dans une cavité micro-onde. Notre dispositif permet de réaliser simultanément des mesures de transport et des mesures micro-ondes, qui donnent des informations complémentaires sur le nanocircuit. Dans les deux expériences réalisées durant cette thèse, un nanotube de carbone est placé au-dessus d’un matériau magnétique qui présente plusieurs domaines d’aimantation. L’axe du champ magnétique de fuite résultant oscille le long du nanotube. Pour les électrons confinés, il est équivalent à un couplage spin-orbite synthétique et à un effet Zeeman. Cet effet synthétique est mis en évidence de deux manières. Dans une première expérience, nous avons mesuré l’évolution des niveaux d’énergie de la boîte quantique quand le matériau magnétique est progressivement aimanté par un champ extérieur, ce qui détruit le champ oscillant. Dans cette expérience, le nanotube a un très bon contact avec un métal supraconducteur en supplément des effets spin-orbite et Zeeman synthétique, qui sont les prérequis pour obtenir des quasiparticules de Majorana dans un nanoconducteur 1D. De telles quasiparticules sont activement recherchées pour leur utilisation pour le calcul quantique. Dans un second temps, nous avons réalisé une double boîte quantique, dans laquelle chaque boîte est constituée d’un segment de nanotube, situé au-dessus du même champ magnétique oscillant que dans la première expérience. Les transitions internes de ce système sont mesurées à l’aide de la cavité micro-onde. Nous avons mis en évidence une très forte dispersion de l’énergie de la transition interne avec un faible champ magnétique extérieur, qui peut être expliqué par un effet Zeeman pour lequel le facteur de Landé, g, a été fortement renormalisé par l’interaction spin-orbite synthétique<br>In this thesis, we have studied carbon nanotube-based nanocircuits integrated in a microwave cavity architecture. Our device is compatible with the simultaneous measurement of both the current through the nanocircuit and the frequency shift of the cavity. These two signals give complementary information about the device. In the two experiments presented in this thesis, the carbon nanotube was positioned above a magnetic material containing several magnetization domains. The resulting magnetic stray field’s axis oscillates along the carbon nanotube length. For the confined electrons, this is equivalent to both a synthetic spin-orbit interaction and a Zeeman effect. This synthetic effect is evidenced in two ways. In a first experiment, we have measured the evolution of the nanotube’s energy levels when the magnetic material is progressively magnetized by an external magnetic field, thus destroying the oscillations of the stray field. In this experiment, the carbon nanotube had a very transparent contact to a superconducting metal, in addition to the synthetic spin-orbit interaction and Zeeman effect. These ingredients are a pre-requisite to observe Majorana quasiparticles in a one-dimensional nanoconductor. Those quasiparticles are under intense study for their potential use in quantum computing. In the second experiment, we have realized a double quantum dot in which each dot similarly lays above an oscillating magnetic field. The internal transitions of this DQD are measured with the microwave cavity signal. We evidenced a strong dispersion of the energy of the double quantum dots’ internal transitions with a small external magnetic field. This dispersion can be explained by a Zeeman effect in which the Landé factor, g, has been strongly renormalized by the synthetic spin-orbit interaction

Ultrafast dynamical processes in magnetic systems have become the subject of intense research during the last two decades, initiated by the pioneering discovery of femtosecond laser-induced demagnetization in nickel. In this thesis, we develop theory for fast and ultrafast magnetization dynamics. In particular, we build relativistic theory to explain the magnetization dynamics observed at short timescales in pump-probe magneto-optical experiments and compute from first-principles the coherent laser-induced magnetization. In the developed relativistic theory, we start from the fundamental Dirac-Kohn-Sham equation that includes all relativistic effects related to spin and orbital magnetism as well as the magnetic exchange interaction and any external electromagnetic field. As it describes both particle and antiparticle, a separation between them is sought because we focus on low-energy excitations within the particle system. Doing so, we derive the extended Pauli Hamiltonian that captures all relativistic contributions in first order; the most significant one is the full spin-orbit interaction (gauge invariant and Hermitian). Noteworthy, we find that this relativistic framework explains a wide range of dynamical magnetic phenomena. To mention, (i) we show that the phenomenological Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation of spin dynamics can be rigorously obtained from the Dirac-Kohn-Sham equation and we derive an exact expression for the tensorial Gilbert damping. (ii) We derive, from the gauge-invariant part of the spin-orbit interaction, the existence of a relativistic interaction that linearly couples the angular momentum of the electromagnetic field and the electron spin. We show this spin-photon interaction to provide the previously unknown origin of the angular magneto-electric coupling, to explain coherent ultrafast magnetism, and to lead to a new torque, the optical spin-orbit torque. (iii) We derive a definite description of magnetic inertia (spin nutation) in ultrafast magnetization dynamics and show that it is a higher-order spin-orbit effect. (iv) We develop a unified theory of magnetization dynamics that includes spin currents and show that the nonrelativistic spin currents naturally lead to the current-induced spin-transfer torques, whereas the relativistic spin currents lead to spin-orbit torques. (v) Using the relativistic framework together with ab initio magneto-optical calculations we show that relativistic laser-induced spin-flip transitions do not explain the measured large laser-induced demagnetization. Employing the ab initio relativistic framework, we calculate the amount of magnetization that can be imparted in a material by means of circularly polarized light – the so-called inverse Faraday effect. We show the existence of both spin and orbital induced magnetizations, which surprisingly reveal a different behavior. We establish that the laser-induced magnetization is antisymmetric in the light’s helicity for nonmagnets, antiferromagnets and paramagnets; however, it is only asymmetric for ferromagnets.

Les systèmes fortement corrélés, pouvant adopter des phases surprenantes de la matière, émergent dans le domaine des atomes ultra-froids ou dans celui de l’électrodynamique quantique en cavité (CQED). Ceux-ci sont au centre d’intenses travaux expérimentaux et théoriques. Dans cette thèse, nous présentons une étude de deux modèles de bosons avec deux ou zéro états internes. Ceux-ci peuvent se déplacer sur un réseau, et sont localement couplés avec des spins 1/2. Notre intérêt réside dans la détermination du diagramme de phase de l’état fondamental de ces systèmes ainsi que de l’étude des propriétés de phase et des transitions entre ces dernières. Nous avons utilisé deux outils : une approximation de champ moyen et des simulations de Monte-Carlo quantique, qui fournit des résultats numériquement exacts. Le premier modèle, appelé modèle de Kondo bosonique sur réseau, s’inscrit dans le contexte des atomes ultra-froids sur réseau. Nous trouvons que sa physique est proche de celle du modèle de Bose-Hubbard, présentant des phases de Mott et superfluide. Le couplage local renforce le caractère isolant et on observe l’émergence de phases magnétiques au travers de couplage direct ou indirect entre bosons et/ou spins. Les effets thermiques, inhérents à tout dispositif expériemental, sont aussi étudiés. Le second modèle s’inscrit dans le domaine de la CQED sur réseau, décrit un régime de couplage ultra-fort entre des photons et des atomes, et est appelé modèle de Rabi sur réseau. Le diagramme de phase présente juste deux phases : une phase cohérente dans laquelle les spins locaux s’ordonnent ferromagnétiquement ainsi qu’une phase incohérente compressible paramagnétique<br>Strongly correlated systems, where new surprising phases of matter may appear both in the context of ultra-cold atoms and cavity quantum electrodynamics, are the focus of intense experimental and theoritical activity. In this thesis we present a study of two models of bosons with two or zero internal states, that is to say spin-1/2 or spin-0 bosons. These particles can move around a lattice, and they are locally coupled to immobile spins 1/2. Our interest was to determine the ground state phase diagram, study phase properties and quantum phase transitions. We used two methods: an approximate one using a mean field approach and the other using quantum Monte-Carlo simulations, which provides numerically exact results. The first model, namely the bosonic Kondo lattice model, is in the context of ultra-cold atoms in optical lattices. We found that its physics is close to that of the Bose-Hubbard model, exhibiting Mott and superfluid phases. The local coupling strengthens the insulating behaviour of the system and magnetism emerges through indirect or direct coupling between bosons. Thermal effects, inherent in experiments, are also studied. The second model, which is in the context of light-matter interaction, describes a situation of an ultra-strong coupling between spin-0 bosons (photons) and local spins 1/2 (two levels atoms) and is known as the Rabi lattice model. The phase diagram generally consists of only two phases: a coherent phase and a compressible incoherent one. The locals

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2009.<br>Title from title screen (site viewed June 26, 2009). PDF text: x, 153 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 9 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3350442. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Nanometer-scale particles of the noble metals have been used for decades as contrast enhancement agents in electron microscopy. Over the past several years it has been demonstrated that these particles also function as excellent contrast agents for optical imaging techniques. The resonant optical scattering they exhibit enables scattering cross sections that may be many orders of magnitude greater than the analogous efficiency factor for fluorescent dye molecules. Biologically relevant labeling with nanoparticles generally results in aggregates containing a few to several tens of particles. The electrodynamic coupling between particles in these aggregates produces observable shifts in the resonance-scattering spectrum. This dissertation provides a theoretical analysis of the scattering from nanoparticle aggregates. The key objectives are to describe this scattering behavior qualitatively and to provide numerical codes usable for modeling its application to biomedical engineering. Considerations of the lowest-order dipole-dipole coupling lead to simple qualitative predictions of the behavior of the spectral properties of the optical cross sections as they depend on number of particles, inter-particle spacing, and aggregate aspect ratio. More comprehensive analysis using the multiple-particle T-matrix formalism allows the elaboration of more subtle cross-section spectral features depending on the interactions of the electrodynamic collective-modes of the aggregate, of individual-particle modes, and of modes associated with groups of particles within the aggregate sub-structure. In combination these analyses and the supporting numerical code-base provide a unified electrodynamic approach which facilitates interpretation of experimental cross section spectra, guides the design of new biophysical experiments using nanoparticle aggregates, and enables optimal fabrication of nanoparticle structures for biophysical applications.<br>text