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Eakins, Jonathan Simon. "Classical and quantum causality in quantum field theory, or, "the quantum universe"." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2004. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/10069/.
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Based on a number of experimentally verified physical observations, it is argued that the standard principles of quantum mechanics should be applied to the Universe as a whole. Thus, a paradigm is proposed in which the entire Universe is represented by a pure state wavefunction contained in a factorisable Hilbert space of enormous dimension, and where this statevector is developed by successive applications of operators that correspond to unitary rotations and Hermitian tests. Moreover, because by definition the Universe contains everything, it is argued that these operators must be chosen self-referentially; the overall dynamics of the system is envisaged to be analogous to a gigantic, self-governing, quantum computation. The issue of how the Universe could choose these operators without requiring or referring to a fictitious external observer is addressed, and this in turn rephrases and removes the traditional Measurement Problem inherent in the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. The processes by which conventional physics might be recovered from this fundamental, mathematical and global description of reality are particularly investigated. Specifically, it is demonstrated that by considering the changing properties, separabilities and factorisations of both the state and the operators as the Universe proceeds though a sequence of discrete computations, familiar notions such as classical distinguishability, particle physics, space, time, special relativity and endo-physical experiments can all begin to emerge from the proposed picture. A pregeometric vision of cosmology is therefore discussed, with all of physics ultimately arising from the relationships occurring between the elements of the underlying mathematical structure. The possible origins of observable physics, including physical objects positioned at definite locations in an arena of apparently continuous space and time, are consequently investigated for a Universe that incorporates quantum theory as a fundamental feature. Overall, a framework for quantum cosmology is introduced and explored which attempts to account for the existence of time, space, matter and, eventually, everything else in the Universe, from a physically consistent perspective.
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Mulryne, David James. "The dynamics of cosmological scenarios inspired by quantum gravity." Thesis, Queen Mary, University of London, 2006. http://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/1763.
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In this thesis we study the dynamics of cosmological scenarios inspired by quantum gravity. Part I investigates novel features of the semi-classical regime of homogeneous and isotropic loop quantum cosmology. Dynamics in this regime becomes modified by nonperturbative quantum effects, subject to a number of ambiguities. For a flat universe the quantum effects accelerate a scalar field along its self-interaction potential during a period of super-inflation. We study how this behaviour can in principle set the initial conditions for subsequent slow-roll inflation. We also calculate a first approximation for the spectrum of perturbations produced during the super-inflationary phase. For the positively-curved case we investigate how a bounce from a contracting to an expanding phase can occur, and show that this can lead to oscillations of the universe. During the oscillations the inflaton field can roll monotonically up its potential. Once the potential energy becomes sufficiently large, however, the cycles end and inflation commences. For a constant potential the oscillations occur about a centre fixed point allowing the construction of `new emergent universe' scenarios where the universe is past-eternally an Einstein static universe, but subsequently evolves into inflation. Part II considers positively-curved braneworld models in which the dynamical equations become modified in such a way as to permit a bounce. It is conjectured that models of this type can exhibit similar behaviour to the positively-curved LQC scenario. General conditions for this behaviour are determined in braneworld settings and we investigate an explicit example - the baneworld of Shtanov and Sanhi - in detail
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Tomasevic, Marija. "Quantum Aspects of Space and Time." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/672688.
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In this thesis, we explore different ways in which spacetime exhibits peculiar properties when subjected to the rules of quantum mechanics. These rules are naturally implemented at the level of semiclassical physics, where the dynamical nature of the spacetime metric is neglected. In particular, we explore how quantum effects modify some of the fundamental statements of General Relativity, ranging from different possible solutions, such as traversable wormholes and time machines, to some of the more foundational conjectures, with an emphasis to the one of cosmic censorship.
Chapter One takes a deeper look into the connection between geometry and entropy. We revisit the original reasoning leading to their entwinement, and we clarify the different notions of entropy that play a role in it. We emphasize the recurring theme and the pattern in such a relationship: how the union between area and entropy makes sense when put together on the same footing, hinting towards a deeper meaning in a complete theory of quantum gravity. This seemingly simple unification is then shown to lead to incredible results, ranging from improved conjectures about quantum gravity, to illuminating one of the most critical problems of modern theoretical physics - the black hole information paradox. In particular, we mainly focus on one example of semiclassical statements, the (quantum) Penrose inequality, and we show in detail the difficulties one has to overcome for a meaningful conjecture to hold. Furthermore, we revise the basic arguments underlying the recent progress regarding the black hole interior and lay out the possible paths to the interpretation of these striking results.
Chapter Two explores different solutions that classical General Relativity forbade, but quantum physics advanced. A number of no-go theorems get circumvented, and configurations previously thought of as impossible become available, and even natural. This is especially clear for solutions such as traversable wormholes and their inherent use in studies of entanglement structures. Indeed, such connections will be relevant in gauge/gravity duality for a fuller understanding of the holographic dictionary. But we can also see the way in which other no-go theorems become easier to infer. In essence, the creation of closed causal curves was understood as a problem of quantum gravity due to the incredibly high energies one seems to need for their demise. However, we show how simple, low-energy arguments are enough to shatter the fiction of time machines.
The final Chapter Three perhaps comes closer to the study of quantum gravity than the previous ones. We undertake the problem of naked singularities in gravity, and we see how including quantum effects solidifies some foundational statements while completely fragmenting other ones. In a nutshell, the strong cosmic censorship conjecture is shown to be on much firmer ground than previously thought. Quantum physics is used to destabilize the relevant Cauchy horizon once and for all. However, including quantum effects necessarily means we must abandon our na¨ıve understanding of the weak cosmic censorship and embark on a much stranger path towards a meaningful statement about naked singularities. In doing so, we discuss the purpose of cosmic censorship and its interpretation in the realm of quantum gravity.
We finish the dissertation with a summary and a further discussion on the nature of naked sin- gularities, providing a framework in which these questions can be meaningfully posed. After a brief overview of recent developments in this research line, we discuss the possible ways in which we can tackle such a perplexing problem. Namely, the role of critical phenomena in gravitational collapse is emphasized, and a proposal for a future study is outlined.Como es propio de toda teoría clásica, la Relatividad General no puede aspirar a ser más que una teoría efectiva, cuyo campo de estudio se reduce al de fenómenos emergentes de estructuras más elementales. Sin embargo, se trata de una teoría dificil de tratar al poseer propiedades no compartidas por el resto de teorías clásicas: una descripción holográfica. A pesar de no haber proporcionado todas las respuestas que buscábamos acerca de la naturaleza del espacio y del tiempo, la holografía ha jugado un papel fundamental; en especial mostrándonos una conexión entre nociones tan dispares como la información cuántica y la geometría, similar a la conexión que Gibbons y Hawking [1] dieron a conocer entre el área y la entropía. Esta tesis tiene como objetivo el estudio de casos en los que esta relación se vuelve manifiesta, usando el régimen semiclásico de gravedad. El primer capítulo profundiza en la conexión entre área y entropía y algunas de las consecuencias que esta implica: la formulación semiclásica de la Desigualdad de Penrose y las posibles intepretaciones relativas al interior de los agujeros negros. El segundo capítulo se adentra en el estudio de escenarios prohibidos por la Relatividad General pero que resultan accesibles, y naturales, al considerar efectos cuánticos. Se centra en los agujeros de gusano y su relación con el entrelazamiento cuántico (a través de la dualidad “gauge/gravity”), así como en la imposibilidad de transformarse en máquinas del tiempo. El capítulo tercero es el que más avanza hacia el régimen cuántico de la gravedad, explorando el problema de las singularidades desnudas y la Hipótesis de la Censura Cósmica. Se muestra cómo la versión fuerte sale reforzada tras un análisis semiclásico, mientras que la versión débil requiere de nuevas reinterpretaciones para su adaptación a la nueva realidad cuántica. Finalmente se ofrece un resumen junto con una discusión adicional sobre la naturaleza de las singularidades desnudas, con un pequeño repaso sobre los avances en este campo y las posibles rutas que tomar, haciendo hincapié en el papel del colapso crítico gravitatorio y proponiendo una línea de investigación más allá de esta tesis. Bibliografía: [1] G. W. Gibbons and S. W. Hawking, “Action integrals and partition functions in quantum gravity,” Phys. Rev. D 15 (May, 1977) 2752–2756. https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevD.15.2752.
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Santos, Jorge Eduardo. "Quantum and classical instabilities of rotating black holes." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.609034.
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Starodubtsev, Artem. "Topological methods in quantum gravity." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/1217.
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The main technical problem with background independent approaches to quantum gravity is inapplicability of standard quantum field theory methods. New methods are needed which would be adapted to the basic principles of General Relativity. Topological field theory is a model which provides natural tools for background independent quantum gravity. It is exactly soluble and, at the same time, diffeomorphism invariant. Applications of topological field theory to quantum gravity include description of boundary states of quantum General Relativity, formulation of quantum gravity as a constrained topological field theory, and a new perturbation theory which uses topological field theory as a starting point. The later is the central theme of the thesis. Unlike the traditional perturbation theory it does not require splitting metric into a background and fluctuations, it is exactly diffeomorphism invariant order by order, and the coupling constant of this theory is dimensionless. We describe the basic ideas and techniques of this perturbation theory as well as inclusion of matter particles, boundary states, and other necessary tools for studying scattering problem in background independent quantum gravity.
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Miller, Paul Anthony. "Entropy signatures of chaotic and regular behaviour in quantum non-integrable systems." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.342181.
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Jammi, Sindhu. "Towards quantum optics experiments with trapped atoms in a hollow-core fibre." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2018. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/49896/.
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A proposal for performing quantum memory schemes with a light matter interface in Hollow Core Fibres is introduced. Various technical aspects of implementing such a scheme in the proposed interface are outlined and the different elements required to realize this scheme are discussed, primarily the detection of atomic levels and the extension of the scheme to magnetically trappable levels. A new method to dispersively measure populations and population difference of alkali atoms prepared in their two clock states is introduced, for future use in the Hollow Core Fibre interface. The method essentially detects the atom numbers based on the influence of the linear birefringence in the ensemble on the detection light beams via polarization homodyning. Sideband detection is performed after dressing the atoms with a radio-frequency field to circumvent low-frequency technical noises. The noise performance of this scheme is discussed along with design modifications aimed at reaching the atomic shot noise limit. Another technical aspect of realizing the quantum memory scheme in the proposed light-matter interface is the extension of the scheme to the trappable states of the atomic system as the atoms will be trapped in an atom chip magnetic field. We achieve this extension by showing the microwave spectroscopy of the ground state ensemble of radio-frequency dressed atoms which proves the existence of pseudo one-photon transitions between the trappable clock states. Finally, the preliminary designs and results of integrating an HCF in an atom chip experiment are discussed.
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Little, William Robert. "Structure of, and light emission in, matrix-free Germanium quantum dots." Thesis, Queen Mary, University of London, 2014. http://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/8954.
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The connection between light emission and structure of Germanium nanoparticles (3-10 nm) prepared by top-down (etching) and bottom-up (sol-gel and colloidal synthesis) has been investigated using Raman spectroscopy, TEM, x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), x-ray di raction (XRD), and photoluminescence (PL). It was found that TEM, Raman spectroscopy, PL, and XRD techniques all result in di ering values for the nanoparticle size which don't all agree in the limit of experimental error. Several structural models have been proposed and tested by high pressure Raman measurements. It was found that a Raman peak corresponding to diamond-type Ge structure is observed well above the transition pressure of both amorphous ( six GPa) and crystalline ( 11 GPa) Ge. The pressure dependence of the Raman signal peak position was observed to follow an unexpected non-linear shift with a corresponding increase in peak width (FWHM). Possible structural origins of these trends have been investigated by adapting the widely used phonon con nement model to high pressure conditions and comparing experimental data with the model behaviour under assumptions of constant, and size-dependent bulk modulus. Considered collectively with the ambient structural data, the results of the analysis of the high pressure behaviour point to the phenomenon of gradual surface induced amorphisation under pressure in matrix-free Ge nanoparticles. The best structural model to describe this is a core-shell with the small crystalline core and a disordered surface layer. The local structure of samples was investigated using XAS, while opticallydetected XAS, using x-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL), was used to link structure with optical emission. The emission was found to depend on surface termination; in oxygen terminated nanoparticles the oxide rich regions are responsi- 4 ble for light emission, while in their hydrogen terminated counterparts' pure Ge regions contribute to the luminescence. Furthermore, with the aid of molecular dynamics simulations it was shown that in hydrogen-terminated samples, optical emission is due to a topologically disordered (amorphous) region close to the surface of the nanoparticles. We demonstrated that OD-XAS can potentially provide subnanoparticle resolution due to its sensitivity to the light emitting sites in a sample. We further investigated the microscopic origins of such sensitivity and identi ed possible limitations. This work clearly demonstrates that a combination of methods sensitive to short-range and long-range structure are required for comprehensive characterisation of nanoscale systems.
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Weetman, Philip. "Modelling Quantum Well Lasers." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/1262.
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In this thesis, two methods to model quantum well lasers will be examined. The first model is based on well-known techniques to determine some of the spectral and dynamical properties of the laser. For the spectral properties, an expression for TE and TM modal amplitude gain is derived. For the dynamical properties, the rate equations are shown. The spectral and dynamical properties can be examined separately for specific operating characteristics or used in conjunction with each other for a complete description of the laser. Examples will be shown to demonstrate some of the analysis and results that can be obtained.
The second model used is based on Wigner functions and the quantum Boltzmann equation. It is derived from general non-equilibrium Greens functions with the application of the Kadanoff-Baym ansatz. This model is less phenomenological than the previous model and does not require the separation of physical processes such as the former spectral and dynamical properties. It therefore has improved predictive power for the performance of novel laser designs. To the Author's knowledge, this is the first time such a model has been formulated. The quantum Boltzmann equations will be derived and some calculations will be performed for a simplified system in order to illustrate some calculation techniques as well as results that can be obtained.
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Goldstein, Kevin. "De Sitter space, interacting quantum field theory and alpha vacua /." View online version; access limited to Brown University users, 2005. http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/fullcit/3174611.
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Klus, Helen. "Breaking the quantum limit : the magnetic field of neutron stars in extra-galactic Be X-ray binaries." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2015. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/381293/.
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Neutron stars are some of the most magnetic objects that have ever been observed, and so they provide physicists with unique environments where fundamental laws of physics can be tested. Neutron stars are typically thought to have magnetic fields between 108 and 1014 G. The effects of the quantum electrodynamics are important above the quantum critical field (BQED) of 4.4×1013 G. In this thesis, I provide evidence that there may be many more neutron stars with B > BQED than previously thought, and that all neutron stars in binary systems that are close to spin equilibrium follow the same relationship between spin period (P) and magnetic field. In Chapter 2, I determine the long-term average X-ray luminosity, spin period, and rate of change of spin period for 42 Be X-ray binaries (BeXB) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). I use this information, combined with orbital data, to show that the neutron stars in all of these systems are disc-accreting, and that 85% are close to spin equilibrium. All systems with P & 100 s are predicted to have B > BQED. This applies to 2/3 systems. These predicted magnetic fields are higher than those of neutron stars in Galactic BeXB that have had their magnetic fields directly measured via cyclotron resonance scattering features (CRSF). I conclude that this is because the CRSF sources are not close to spin equilibrium. In Chapter 3, I look at pulse-profiles for the neutron stars discussed in Chapter 2 and find that they contain an array of features that vary both across and within individual systems. I suggest that BeXB containing neutron stars with relatively longer spin periods transition from a pencil to a fan beam at lower luminosities. In Chapter 4, I apply the methods used in Chapters 2 and 3 to LXP187, a BeXB in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) that is not close to spin equilibrium. Results for LXP187 help confirm the conclusions of Chapter 2 - that � 2/3 BeXB contain neutron stars with B > BQED.
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Park, Tyler Drue. "Characterization of InGaAs Quantum Dot Chains." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2013. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3718.
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InGaAs quantum dot chains were grown with a low-temperature variation of the Stranski-Krastanov method, the conventional epitaxial method. This new method seeks to reduce indium segregation and intermixing in addition to giving greater control in the growth process. We used photoluminescence spectroscopy techniques to characterize the quality and electronic structure of these samples. We have recently used a transmission electron microscope to show how the quantum dots vary with annealing temperature. Some questions relating to the morphology of the samples cannot be answered by photoluminescence spectroscopy alone. Using transmission electron microscopy, we verified flattening of the quantum dots with annealing temperature and resolved the chemical composition with cross-section cuts and plan view cuts.
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Stecklein, Gordon. "Bridging the Gender Gap in Quantum Physics." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2008. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/pomona_theses/24.
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Why is it important to study the gender gap in physics? Despite entering the workforce in increasing numbers over the last fifty years, women remain severely underrepresented in science and technology-related careers, particularly in positions of authority. Simultaneously, numerous studies verify that women have the ability to perform as well as – or better than – males in physics, and, when presented in certain lights, as many women as men show an interest in physics. Changes must be made in order to strive for equality and, given the changing demographic of the workforce, increase our country’s diminishing scientific prowess.
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Capraro, Ivan. "Advanced Techniques in Free Space Quantum Communication." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Padova, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/11577/3425561.
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The main argument of this thesis is the application of advanced techniques for the optimization of single photon communication and in general of single photon applications. The work is inserted in the contest of various projects that involve the departments of Information Engineering and Astronomy of the University of Padua.
In particular my contribution has been the development of a quantum cryptography setup that we called QuAKE. The system has been designed and implemented in our labs and include in the hardware some advanced temporal and spatial filtering techniques. These features has been realized respectively with an ad hoc electronics and with an adaptive optics system, the latter developed entirely in our department. The high level software for quantum cryptography has been also implemented and many optimizations have been realized both in the logical design and in the single algorithms.
The last part of this thesis describes an astronomical instrument, called
AquEYE, developed by our group and capable of time tagging single photons coming from celestial sources. In particular a description of the time and frequency distribution unit is given since this has been my contribution to the AquEYE instrument so far.
The thesis is organized as follows: after an introduction to quantum cryp-
tography (chapter 1), the QuAKE system is presented (chapter 2), the electronics and the optical setup are described (chapter 3) as well as the adaptive optics system (chapter 4), it follows a description of the results obtained testing the adaptive optics system outdoor and on the QuAKE system (chapter 5) and the description of the high level software and the related results (chapter 6), last a description on the timing and frequency unit of AquEYE is presented as well as some of the early results of the instrument (chapter 7).
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Gómez, Subils Javier. "Non-perturbative Aspects of Quantum Field Theories from Holography." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/672276.
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In this thesis we have employed the holographic duality to study the non-perturbative regime of a one-parameter family of theories with multi-scale dynamics. Normally, this (super)string theory motivated duality identifies gauge theories in flat space with string theories in a certain curved spacetime. Its relevance roots in its ability to relate the strongly-coupled regime of gauge theories with classical gravity governed by Einstein's equations. In the Introduction of the thesis, we have reviewed the main string theory ingredients that we used throughout the thesis and revisited some of the previous results which are the starting point of out study.
In Chapter 2, we gather the explicit form of the supergravity solutions whose dual are the gauge theories of interest. These are three-dimensional gauge theories. Generically, they share the same physics at high energies, given by Yang-Mills and Chern-Simons interactions. Remarkably, when the low energy regime of the theories is studied, a rich variety of non-perturbative phenomenology is discovered.
In particular, for a generic value of the parameter distinguishing the theories, they develop a mass gap in their spectrum. However, the two theories which are obtained at the limiting values of the parameter are special. On the one hand, the theory flows towards an infrarred fixed point, dual to a Conformal Field Theory. On the other hand, a confining theory is obtained, in the sense that the potential felt between quarks grows linearly with the distance between them for large separations.
All these phenomena, together with the computation of the spectrum of spin-0 and spin-2 states, are studied in Chapter 3. The fact that in this system the Renormalisation Group flow can pass close to a Conformal Field Theory motivated the search of a light dilaton in the spectrum. But such light state was not found, the reason for that being that the values of the source and the vacuum expectation value that prevented the flow from finishing at the fixed point where of the same order.
On top of that, in this Chapter some entanglement entropy measures were studied. This last investigation was motivated by the fact that in the literature some quantities extracted from such magnitudes where proposed as a probe for confinement. Our results show that, when these quantities are considered in our system, they are not able to discriminate between confining and non-confining gapped theories.
Not only did we consider the theories at zero temperature case, but we also studied thermal states by constructing numerical black brane solutions in the gravity side. Black branes are very much like black holes, with the peculiarity that their surface extends in non-compact directions. Such solutions are discussed in Chapter 4. As a result, we understood their phase diagram, exhibiting a rich structure endowed with first and second order phase transitions, as well as a triple point where three phases coexist and a critical point where the second order phase transition takes place.
Intrigued by the effect that the proximity of a Conformal Field Theory could have in the Renormalisation Group flow of a field theory, in Chapter 5 we carried out a study on complex Conformal Field Theories. We proposed their holographic dual, and analysed some of their properties in the strongly-coupled case.
Finally, in Chapter 6, we studied transport coefficients in holographic theories which model Quantum Chromodynamics. We concluded that the holographic results are quite different from the ones obtained using perturbative techniques. These studies could have phenomenological consequences and find their application in astrophysical observations concerning neutron stars.En esta tesis hemos utilizado la dualidad holográfica para entender el régimen no perturbativo de una familia uni-paramétrica de teorías con múltiples escalas. Primeramente, hemos repasado los ingredientes esenciales que necesitamos de teoría de cuerdas. A la vez, hemos introducimos algunos resultados previos que son el punto de partida de nuestras investigaciones. Tras dicha introducción, se recogen todas las soluciones de supergravedad duales a las teorías en tres dimensiones que estudiamos. Genéricamente, comparten la misma física a altas energías pero a bajas energías muestran una rica fenomenología. En particular, desarrollan un salto de masa en su espectro. Curiosamente, las teorías correspondientes a tomar los valores límites del parámetro son especiales. En un caso, la teoría fluye a una teoría de campos conforme. En el otro se obtiene una teoría confinante, con potencial lineal entre quarks. También se calcula el espectro de estados con espín 0 y espín 2. Además, se analizan diferentes medidas de entrelazamiento cuántico que en nuestro caso no son capaces de discriminar entre teorías con confinamiento y teorías con un salto de masa. Esto contrasta con algunas propuestas que se encuentran en la literatura. Adicionalmente hemos construido numéricamente soluciones de branas negras, que describen estados térmicos de las teorías. Hemos descubierto un diagrama de fases muy rico, con transiciones de fase de primer y segundo orden, junto a un punto crítico y un punto triple. Interesados por el efecto que una teoría conforme de campos pudiera tener si es cercana al flujo del grupo de renormalización de otra teoría, en el Capítulo 5 nos adentramos en el estudio de teorías conformes de campos complejas, dando su el dual holográfico. Finalmente, se calculan coeficientes de transporte en teorías holográficas que modelan Cromodinámica Quántica y que podrían tener consecuencias fenomenológicas en observaciones referentes a estrellas de neutrones.
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Keseroglu, Kemal Oguz. "Super-resolution imaging via spectral separation of quantum dots." Thesis, Queen Mary, University of London, 2017. http://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/31801.
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There has been significant progress in the optical resolution of microscopes over the last two decades. However, the majority of currently used methods (e.g. STED, PALM, STORM) have a number of drawbacks, including high intensities of light that result in damage to living specimens in STED, and long data acquisition time leading to limitations on live-cell imaging. Therefore, there is a niche for faster image acquisition at lower intensities while maintaining resolution beyond the diffraction limit. Here, we have developed a new methodology - Quantum Dot-based Optical Spectral Separation (QDOSS) - which relies on using Quantum Dots (QDs) as fluorophores, and on their separation and localisation based on their spectral signatures. We utilise the key advantages of QDs over the usual organic fluorophores: broad excitation, narrow emission spectra and high resistance to photobleaching. Besides, since QDOSS is based on spectral differences for separation, QDs can be deterministically localised in a relatively short time - milliseconds and, potentially, microseconds. Last but not least, QDOSS is suitable for obtaining super-resolution images using a standard confocal fluorescence microscope equipped with a single laser excitation wavelength and capable of spectral signal separation (e.g. Leica TCS SP series or Zeiss LSM series). First, we demonstrated resolution down to 60 nm using triangular DNA origami as a reference. Furthermore, we labelled and imaged the alpha-tubulin structure in HEK293T cells. We showed that using a mixture of standard off-the-shelf QDs of different sizes, resolution down to 40 nm could be achieved via spectroscopic separation of QDs. Finally, we demonstrated that QDOSS could also be used for multicolour imaging of synaptic proteins distributed around synapsis in neurons within diffraction limit. All in all, we believe that these features of QDOSS make it a potential method for long-term live super-resolution imaging, which is going to have a high impact in biological sciences.
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Gabbanelli, Luciano. "Analysis of some classical and quantum aspects of black holes." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/668189.
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For ninety years we have known that our universe is in expansion. Cosmological data favor an unknown form of intrinsic and fundamental uniform energy contributing approximately 68% of the total energy budget in the current epoch. The simplest proposal in accordance with observations is the standard cosmological model consisting of a small but positive cosmological constant producing a gravitational repulsive effect driving the accelerated expansion. In standard cosmology general relativity is assumed as the theory for gravity, which in turn predicts that a sufficiently compact mass can deform spacetime and form a black hole. At a mathematical level, these objects are considered vacuum solutions described by very few parameters. For instance, a stationary black hole solution is completely described by its mass, angular momentum, and electric charge; and two black holes that share the same values for these parameters, are indistinguishable from one another.
On the basis of the usual metrics describing black holes, it is generally believed that all contained matter is localized in the center or, if rotating, on an infinitely thin ring. Recent approaches challenge this unintuitive assumption and consider matter just spread throughout the interior. Clearly, this begs for a quantum description in curved space. In past years, a novel approach established a new bridge between quantum information and the physics of black holes when an intriguing proposal was made: black holes could possibly be understood as Bose—Einstein condensates of soft interacting but densely packed gravitons. The aim of this thesis is to discuss how to construct a graviton condensate structure on top of a classical gravitational field describing black holes. A necessary parameter to be introduced for this analogy is a chemical potential which we discuss how to incorporate within general relativity. Next we search for solutions and, employing some very plausible assumptions, we find out that the condensate vanishes outside the horizon but is non-zero in its interior. These results can be extended easily to a Reissner—Nordström black hole. In fact, we find that the phenomenon seems to be rather generic and is associated with the presence of a horizon, acting as a confining potential. In order to see whether a Bose— Einstein condensate is preferred, we use the Brown—York quasilocal energy, finding that a condensate is energetically favourable in all cases in the classically forbidden region. The Brown—York quasilocal energy also allows us to derive a quasilocal potential, whose consequences allow us to suggest a possible mechanism to generate a graviton condensate in black holes. On the contrary, this is not the case for any kind of horizons; for instance, this mechanism appears not to be feasible in order to generate a quantum condensate behind the cosmological de Sitter horizon.
Furthermore, when a pair of black holes merge, an immense amount of energy should be given off as gravitational waves. Their wave forms have been recently confirmed to be perfectly described by general relativity. We discuss why for low frequency gravitational waves aimed to be detected by astrophysical PTA observations the fact that propagation should take place over an expanding (approximately globally de Sitter) spacetime should be taken into account. In this manner, harmonic waves produced in such mergers would
become anharmonic when measured by cosmological observers. This effect is tiny but appears to be observable for gravitational waves to which PTA are sensitive. Therefore we have characterized modifications to the expected signal, and how it is related to the source and pulsar characteristics that are employed by the IPTA collaboration. If the cosmological constant were an intrinsic property, this experiment would be capable of confirming the relevance of lambda at redshift z < 1.El objetivo de la presente tesis es profundizar en diversos aspectos de la física de los agujeros negros. Tanto en lo que respecta a sus características constitutivas fundamentales, su "estructura" interna, como a la posibilidad de observar o detectar mediante observaciones astrofísicas ciertos efectos producto de su dinámica. Por un lado, hemos seguido las ideas de Dvali, Gómez et al. quienes han sugerido la posibilidad de que un agujero negro sea un condensado de Bose—Einstein de gravitones débilmente interactuantes. En nuestro caso hemos estudiado la existencia de este tipo de soluciones sobre diferentes métricas de agujero negro (Schwarzschild y Reissner— Nordström) que actuarían como potencial confinante para dichos condensados. Un parámetro necesario para ello, es el equivalente a un potencial químico que debe ser incorporado a la relatividad general. Cabe destacar que la solución encontrada puede ser interpretada como la función de campo medio del condensado. Además resulta fuertemente ligada a la estructura clásica de la métrica que la sustenta. Por otro lado, es bien sabido que la aceleración de cuerpos muy masivos producen perturbaciones de tipo onda en el espaciotiempo. Son de nuestro interés las ondas gravitatorias de baja frecuencia, provenientes de la colisión de agujeros negros supermasivos y que deberían poder ser detectadas mediante sistemas de púlsares (Pulsar Timing Arrays). De acuerdo a una línea de investigación desarrollada por Espriu et al. la presencian de una constante cosmológica podría tener un efecto en la propagación y por lo tanto en la detección por parte de la colaboración IPTA de estas ondas. En la presente tesis hemos generalizado el método para incluir diferentes tipos de materia (relativista y no relativista) además de la constante cosmológica. Del análisis se deriva que el efecto depende sensiblemente del valor de la constante de Hubble (que engloba todos los tipos de materia presentes). Continuando dicha línea, hemos caracterizado detalladamente el efecto en su dependencia con los parámetros cosmológicas y las distancias involucradas, y cómo podría ser hallado. Esperamos que nuestros resultados puedan contribuir a una definitiva detección por IPTA.
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Ried, Katja [UNESP]. "Can entanglement explain black hole entropy?" Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/91804.
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When seeking inspiration for a future theory of quantum gravity, studying black holes is a promising ansatz, since they present us with several puzzles at the intersection of quantum theory and gravity. Among these is their entropy: although there are compelling arguments for its existence, its origin and statistical meaning remain a mystery. Previous work showed that at least some aspects of this phenomenon can be accounted for by the entanglement of quantum fields across the horizon: if a field is globally in a pure state, yet part of it is hidden behind the event horizon, then the reduced state of the remainder possesses non-zero entropy. This is the possibility we explore in the present work, in the simplest of settings: a ground-state escalar field, defined in three-dimensional, flat or unifromily curved space, and derive an expression for the entropy, which is evauated numerically. the results show that the entropy scales with the boundary area of the inaccessible region, a key feature of black hole entropy known as the area law. Furthermore. we conclude that the dominant contribution to the entropy is due to short-range interactions, and discuss some physical implications of this insight for the puzzle of black hole entropy
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Verroi, Enrico. "Very fast photon counting photometers for astronomical applications." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Padova, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11577/3421592.
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The topics treated in this thesis are the design, the integration and the use of the ultra-fast single photon photometer IQuEYE (Italian Quantum Eye). The implementation of this instrument represents an important step in a project, initiated in 2005, for the realization of a Quantum Photometer (QuantEYE) for the telescope EELT (European Extremely Large Telescope) of 42 meters in diameter, now under construction, which is scheduled for completion in 2018.
Such an instrument would represent a breakthrough in observational Astronomy and it would allow extending the knowledge gained from theoretical and experimental Quantum Optics to the Astrophysics. QuantEYE is designed to extract from the light collected the information enclosed in the statistical distribution of photons through spatial and temporal analysis of the correlation functions of order higher than first, beyond the capability of "classics" instrumentation.
The instrument described in this thesis, IQuEYE, is a prototype for NTT (ESO New Technology Telescope). It is essentially a fixed aperture photometer that collects light within a field of view of few arcseconds, dividing the telescope light beam into four equal parts, and focuses each sub-beam on an independent single photon-counting diode SPAD. The innovative photon time-tagging system is based on a rubidium atomic clock, corrected on long time scale the by means of a GPS signal. This system allows the identification of each photon with a relative precision better than 100ps and an absolute UTC precision of 500ps for an hour of observation. The instrument can identify in this way up to eight million photons per second, that means IQuEYE is able to sustain flows of photons up to a maximum rate of 8MHz. All arrival times, digitized at 25ps, are stored, in this way post-processing analysis and data reprocessing in time are allowed.
The first part of the thesis is devoted to the detailed description of the instrument, starting from design phase, with particular attention for opto-mecanics, to its integration.
IQuEYE is now fully operative and has already been used in three ob-servation campaigns at La Silla (Chile) during the months of January and December 2009 and July-August 2010. The thesis then collects the results of some observations performed and presents them in its second part, with the aim of demonstrating the potential of the instrument.
So a brief description of a first experiment for the feasibility of intensity interferometry is given. Moreover the observation of an exoplanetary transit which allows us to double the accuracy in determining the period of mid-transit, is described. Finally the results for the observation of rapidly varying objects (three optical pulsars) are exposed, together with some analysis tools developed specifically for our data. The acquired data have an excellent quality. Through their analysis the best determination of the Crab pulsar (PSR B0531 +21) period was achieved. Furthermore the optical light curves for PSR B0833-45 (weak pulsar in the Vela constellation, at the limits of visibility for NTT) and B0540-69.
In this way the validity of IQuEYE in HTRA High Time Resolution Astronomy has been demonstrated.Gli argomenti trattati in questa tesi sono la progettazione, l’integrazione e l’utilizzo del fotometro ultrarapido a conteggio di singolo fotone IQuEYE (Italian Quantum Eye). L’implementazione di questo strumento rappresenta un passo fondamentale in un progetto avviato nel 2005 che mira alla realizzazione di un fotometro quantistico, QuantEYE, per il telescopio EELT (European Extremely Large Telescope) di 42 metri di diametro, oggi in fase di costruzione, la cui ultimazione è prevista per il 2018. Un tale strumento rappresenterebbe una svolta nell’astronomia osservativa, permettendo di estendere le conoscenze sviluppate nell’ambito dell’ottica quantistica teorica e sperimentale all’ambito astrofisico. QuantEYE è progettato per estrarre dalla luce raccolta le informazioni contenute nella statistica di distribuzione spaziale e temporale dei fotoni mediante l’analisi delle funzioni di correlazione di ordine superiore al primo, limite al quale si fermano gli strumenti astronomici “classici”. Lo strumento descritto nella presente tesi, IQuEYE, è un prototipo destinato all’uso su NTT (ESO New Technology Telescope). Si tratta essenzialmente di un contatore di singoli fotoni progettato per raccogliere la luce suddividendo la pupilla del telescopio attraverso quattro canali indipendenti che utilizzano dei rivelatori di tipo SPAD. L’innovativo sistema di etichettatura temporale dei fotoni rilevati si basa su un orologio atomico al rubidio, per corregere la deriva del quale viene usato un segnale GPS interpolato su lunga scala temporale. Tale sistema permette di identificare ogni fotone con una precisione relativa migliore di 100ps ed una precisione assoluta riferita ad UTC di 500ps per un’ora di osservazione. Lo strumento è in grado identificare in questo modo fino ad otto milioni di fotoni al secondo, cioè di sostenere flussi di fotoni fino ad un limite massimo di 8MHz. Tutti i tempi di arrivo, digitalizzati a 25ps, vengono salvati e permettono l’analisi differita e la rielaborazione nel tempo. La prima parte della tesi è dedicata alla descrizione dettagliata dello strumento, a partire dalla fase di progettazione, il disegno optomeccanico, fino alla sua integrazione. IQuEYE è oggi perfettamente funzionante ed è stato già utilizzato in tre campagne osservative a La Silla (Cile) durante i mesi di gennaio e dicembre 2009 e luglio-agosto 2010. La tesi raccoglie quindi i risultati di alcune delle osservazioni effettuate e li presenta nella seconda parte, con l’intento di dimostrare le potenzialità dello strumento. Vengono descritti sommariamente un primo esperimento di fattibilità per l’interferometria di intensità e l’osservazione di un transito esoplanetario che permette di raddoppiare la precisione nella determinazione del periodo di metà transito rispetto agli strumenti utilizzati da altri autori. Per finire sono esposti i risultati ottenuti nell’osservazione di oggetti rapidamente variabili, tre pulsar ottiche, e alcuni strumenti di analisi dati sviluppati specificatamente. I dati acquisiti hanno una qualità eccellente e hanno permesso di ottenere la miglior determinazione mai conseguita del periodo di pulsazione per PSR B0531+21 (la pulsar della nebulosa del Granchio). Sono inoltre state ricavate le prime curve di luce ottiche da decenni a questa parte per PSR B0833-45 (debole pulsar nella costellazione della Vela, ai limiti di visibilità per NTT) e per B0540-69. In questo modo la validità di IQuEYE nell’ambito dell’astronomia ad alta risoluzione temporale è stata ampiamente dimostrata.
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Stelea, Cristian. "Higher dimensional Taub-NUT spaces and applications." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/2956.
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In the first part of this thesis we discuss classes of new exact NUT-charged solutions in four dimensions and higher, while in the remainder of the thesis we make a study of their properties and their possible applications. Specifically, in four dimensions we construct new families of axisymmetric vacuum solutions using a solution-generating technique based on the hidden SL(2,R) symmetry of the effective action. In particular, using the Schwarzschild solution as a seed we obtain the Zipoy-Voorhees generalisation of the Taub-NUT solution and of the Eguchi-Hanson soliton. Using the C-metric as a seed, we obtain and study the accelerating versions of all the above solutions. In higher dimensions we present new classes of NUT-charged spaces, generalizing the previously known even-dimensional solutions to odd and even dimensions, as well as to spaces with multiple NUT-parameters. We also find the most general form of the odd-dimensional Eguchi-Hanson solitons. We use such solutions to investigate the thermodynamic properties of NUT-charged spaces in (A)dS backgrounds. These have been shown to yield counter-examples to some of the conjectures advanced in the still elusive dS/CFT paradigm (such as the maximal mass conjecture and Bousso's entropic N-bound). One important application of NUT-charged spaces is to construct higher dimensional generalizations of Kaluza-Klein magnetic monopoles, generalizing the known 5-dimensional Kaluza-Klein soliton. Another interesting application involves a study of time-dependent higher-dimensional bubbles-of-nothing generated from NUT-charged solutions. We use them to test the AdS/CFT conjecture as well as to generate, by using stringy Hopf-dualities, new interesting time-dependent solutions in string theory. Finally, we construct and study new NUT-charged solutions in higher-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell theories, generalizing the known Reissner-Nordström solutions.
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Penante, Brenda Correa de Andrade. "On-shell methods for off-shell quantities in N = 4 Super Yang-Mills : from scattering amplitudes to form factors and the dilatation operator." Thesis, Queen Mary, University of London, 2016. http://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/23649.
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Planar maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory (N = 4 SYM) is a special quantum fi eld theory. A few of its remarkable features are conformal symmetry at the quantum level, evidence of integrability and, moreover, it is a prime example of the AdS/CFT duality. Triggered by Witten's twistor string theory [1], the past 15 years have witnessed enormous progress in reformulating this theory to make as many of these special features manifest, from the choice of convenient variables to recursion relations that allowed new mathematical structures to appear, like the Grassmannian [2]. These methods are collectively referred to as on-shell methods. The ultimate hope is that, by understanding N = 4 SYM in depth, one can learn about other, more realistic quantum fi eld theories. The overarching theme of this thesis is the investigation of how on-shell methods can aid the computation of quantities other than scattering amplitudes. In this spirit we study form factors and correlation functions, said to be partially and completely off-shell quantities, respectively. More explicitly, we compute form factors of half-BPS operators up to two loops, and study the dilatation operator in the SO(6) and SU(2j3) sectors using techniques originally designed for amplitudes. A second part of the work is dedicated to the study of scattering amplitudes beyond the planar limit, an area of research which is still in its infancy, and not much is known about which special features of the planar theory survive in the non-planar regime. In this context, we generalise some aspects of the on-shell diagram formulation of Arkani-Hamed et al. [3] to take into account non-planar corrections.
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Corson, John Purvis. "Photoemission from a Laser-Driven Electron Wave Packet." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2011. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3040.
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We use quantum electrodynamics (QED) to investigate the possibility of radiative interference from a single laser-driven electron wave packet. Intuition gleaned from classical electrodynamics suggests that radiation from a large electron wave packet might interfere destructively when different regions of the packet oscillate out of phase with each other. We show that when the incident light is represented with a multi-mode coherent state, the relative phases of the electron's constituent momenta have no influence of the amount of scattered light. Hence, the radiation does not depend on the amount of free-particle spreading experienced by the electron before the interaction. This result is shown to hold to all orders of perturbation theory. We extend our conclusions using the Furry picture of QED, where the (now-classical) incident light pulse is treated non-perturbatively with Volkov functions. We connect our results to a first-quantized picture by comparing transition probabilities between QED and semiclassical models. We are able to match these probabilities by choosing the classical scattered light field to be a single mode with energy hω'.
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Booth, Ivan. "A Quasilocal Hamiltonian for Gravity with Classical and Quantum Applications." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/1236.
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I modify the quasilocal energy formalism of Brown and York into a purely Hamiltonian form. As part of the reformulation, I remove their restriction that the time evolution of the boundary of the spacetime be orthogonal to the leaves of the time foliation. Thus the new formulation allows an arbitrary evolution of the boundary which physically corresponds to allowing general motions of the set of observers making up that boundary. I calculate the rate of change of the quasilocal energy in such situations, show how it transforms with respect to boosts of the boundaries, and use the Lanczos-Israel thin shell formalism to reformulate it from an operational point of view. These steps are performed both for pure gravity and gravity with attendant matter fields. I then apply the formalism to characterize naked black holes and study their properties, investigate gravitational tidal heating, and combine it with the path integral formulation of quantum gravity to analyze the creation of pairs of charged and rotating black holes. I show that one must use complex instantons to study this process though the probabilities of creation remain real and consistent with the view that the entropy of a black hole is the logarithm of the number of its quantum states.
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Stenson, Jared R. "Representations for Understanding the Stern-Gerlach Effect." Diss., CLICK HERE for online access, 2005. http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/ETD/image/etd908.pdf.
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Ried, Katja. "Can entanglement explain black hole entropy? /." São Paulo : [s.n.], 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/91804.
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Orientador: George Emanuel Avraam MatsasBanca: Daniel Augusto Turolla Vanzella
Banca: Ernesto Galvão
Resumo: Não disponível
Abstract: When seeking inspiration for a future theory of quantum gravity, studying black holes is a promising ansatz, since they present us with several puzzles at the intersection of quantum theory and gravity. Among these is their entropy: although there are compelling arguments for its existence, its origin and statistical meaning remain a mystery. Previous work showed that at least some aspects of this phenomenon can be accounted for by the entanglement of quantum fields across the horizon: if a field is globally in a pure state, yet part of it is hidden behind the event horizon, then the reduced state of the remainder possesses non-zero entropy. This is the possibility we explore in the present work, in the simplest of settings: a ground-state escalar field, defined in three-dimensional, flat or unifromily curved space, and derive an expression for the entropy, which is evauated numerically. the results show that the entropy scales with the boundary area of the inaccessible region, a key feature of black hole entropy known as the area law. Furthermore. we conclude that the dominant contribution to the entropy is due to short-range interactions, and discuss some physical implications of this insight for the puzzle of black hole entropy
Mestre
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Griffiths, Scott Tyler. "Exploring the limits of Lorentz invariance with VERITAS gamma-ray observations of Markarian 421." Diss., University of Iowa, 2015. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1847.
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The search for a theory of quantum gravity has persisted through the last century. Although many beautiful theories such as string theory and loop quantum gravity have been proposed, experimental evidence to support or refute these theories has been difficult to obtain. Searching for Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) is one of a limited number of experimental tests which can be used to search for evidence of quantum gravity since new physics may only be observable at energies well beyond those present in the most energetic astrophysical objects, which are far greater than the energies accessible in a terrestrial laboratory.
One method of searching for LIV is to look for energy-dependent time delays in the arrival of high-energy photons from distant astrophysical sources. We search for Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) using VERITAS, an imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope (IACT) located in southern Arizona. Significant TeV gamma ray flaring activity was detected from the blazar Markarian 421 on the night of February 17, 2010 (MJD 55244), which presented a good opportunity to search for delays in the energetic emission. We demonstrate the performance of two different dispersion estimation algorithms and apply these algorithms to our data to search for LIV. We find that while the emission from Markarian 421 contains significant variability, a necessary condition for an LIV detection, the presence of a constant background flux severely limits our sensitivity. We expect our findings to be useful for guiding future LIV studies, especially those using IACT data.
In the latter part of this work we discuss the alignment of ground-based gamma-ray telescopes and present a digital autocollimator which will be used in the alignment system of a next-generation IACT. The configuration of our autocollimator enables measurement of the angle formed between the planar surface of a distant reflector and the line of sight over a range of ±0.126° with a precision better than 5 arcsec. We present a detailed description of the instrument and its data acquisition software that was used during laboratory testing.
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Spanner, Michael. "Field-Free Alignment and Strong Field Control of Molecular Rotors." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/1256.
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Methods of controlling molecular rotations using linearly polarized femtosecond and picosecond pulses are considered and analyzed theoretically. These laser pulses, typically in the infrared, are highly non-resonant with respect to the electronic degrees of freedom of the molecules and have intensities of ∼ 10^13 to 10^14 W/cm². It is shown how these laser pulses can force small linear molecules to align with the direction of the electric field vector of the laser both in the presence of the laser field as well as after the application of a short laser pulse. Recent experiments on laser-induced molecular alignment are modeled and excellent agreement between experiment and theory is found. Additional methods of controlling molecular rotational dynamics are outlined. The first method considers the forced rotational acceleration of diatomic molecules, called the optical centrifuge. Here, the direction of polarization of a linearly polarized laser field is made to smoothly rotate faster and faster. The molecules, which tend to align with the polarization vector of the laser field, follow the rotation of the laser polarization and are accelerated to high angular momentum. The second method considers the control of field-free rotational dynamics by applying phase shifts to the molecular wave function at select times called fractional revivals. At these select moments, an initially localized wave function splits into several copies of the initial state. Adding phase shifts to the copies then induces interference effects which can be used to control the subsequent evolution of the rotational wave function. This same control scheme has a close link to quantum information and this connection is outlined. Finally, a recently proposed method of controlling the quantum dynamics of the classically chaotic kicked rotor system [J. Gong and P. Brumer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 1741 (2001)] is analyzed from a phase space perspective. It is shown that the proposed quantum control can be linked to small islands of stability in the classical phase space. An experimentally feasible variant of this control scenario using wave packets of molecular alignment is proposed. Two applications of molecular alignment are discussed. The first application uses field-free aligned molecules as a non-linear medium for compression of a laser pulse to the 1 fs regime at optical wavelengths. At such durations, these laser pulses contain nearly a single oscillation of the electric field and represent the shortest laser pulses physically achievable for such frequencies. The second application uses molecular alignment to create a sort of gas phase "molecular crystal" which forms a basis for laser-induced electron diffraction and imaging of the aligned molecules. Here, a first laser pulse aligns the molecules in space. A second laser pulse is then used to ionize outer-shell electrons, accelerate them in the laser field, and steer them back to collide with the parent ion creating a diffraction image with sub-femtosecond and sub-Angstrom resolution.
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Wendler, Tim Glenn. "Algebraic Semi-Classical Model for Reaction Dynamics." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2014. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5755.
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We use an algebraic method to model the molecular collision dynamics of a collinear triatomic system. Beginning with a forced oscillator, we develop a mathematical framework upon which inelastic and reactive collisions are modeled. The model is considered algebraic because it takes advantage of the properties of a Lie algebra in the derivation of a time-evolution operator. The time-evolution operator is shown to generate both phase-space and quantum dynamics of a forced oscillator simultaneously. The model is considered semi-classical because only the molecule's internal degrees-of-freedom are quantized. The relative translation between the colliding atom and molecule in an exchange reaction (AB+C ->A+BC) contains no bound states and any possible tunneling is neglected so the relative translation is treated classically. The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a working model for the quantum dynamics of a collinear reactive collision. After a reliable model is developed we apply statistical mechanics principles by averaging collisions with molecules in a thermal bath. The initial Boltzmann distribution is of the oscillator energies. The relative velocities of the colliding particles is considered a thermal average. Results are shown of quantum transition probabilities around the transition state that are highly dynamic due to the coupling between the translational and transverse coordinate.
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Landulfo, André Gustavo Scagliusi [UNESP]. "Aspectos relativísticos da teoria da informação quântica." Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/102507.
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Mesmo tratando a gravidade classicamente, a Teoria Quântica de Campos em Espaços Tempos Curvos (TQCEC) faz previsões impressionantes sobre o comportamento de campos quânticos na presença de campos gravitacionais. Entretanto, ao mesmo tempo em que nos revela efeitos surpreendentes, a TQCEC levanta uma série de questionamentos. O desenvolvimento de uma teoria na interface entre a teoria da relatividade, a mecânica quântica e a teoria da informação poderá não só lançar uma nova luz em tais questões como também nos permitir descobrir novos efeitos de gravitação quântica de baixas energias. Entretanto, os efeitos que a teoria da relatividade causa na teoria da informação quântica são não triviais já no espaço-tempo de Minkowski. Faz-se necessáaria portanto uma análise cuidadosa de tais efeitos já no contexto da relatividade especial. Sendo assim, estudamos primeiro o comportamento das desigualdades de Bell usando férmions de spin 1/2 e fótons quando os detetores que medem spin e polarização, respectivamente, movemse com certa velocidade. Além disso, usamos o limite de Holevo para estudar sistemas de comunicação quando as partes que trocam informação tem um movimento relativo. Como um desenvolvimento natural, estudamos diversos aspectos da teoria da informação quântica no contexto da teoria quântica de campos e, em particular, do efeito Unruh. Tais resultados nos permitiram prever o comportamento de qubits nas vizinhanças de um buraco negro de Schwarzschild
Although it treats gravity classically, the Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetimes (QFTCS) makes remarkable predictions about de behavior of quantum fields in the presence of gravitational fields. However, these striking discoveries raises several issues. The development of a theory at the interface between the theory of relativity, quantum mechanics and information theory could not only shed new light on such questions as well as allow us to uncover new low-energy quantum gravity effects. However, relativity affects quantum information theory in a highly non-trivial way already in Minkowski spacetime. Therefore, a careful analysis of these effects in the context of special relativity is needed. For this purpose, we begin investigating how the movement of the spin and polarization detectors influences the Bell inequalities using spin 1/2 fermions and photons, respectively. Then, we use the Holevo bound to investigate quantum communication channels when the parts that trade information have a relative motion. As a natural development, we use quantum field theory and, in particular, the Unruh effect to analyze several aspects of quantum information theory. This enables us to predict the behavior of qubits in the vicinity of a Schwarzschild black hole
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Sayer, Ryan Thomas. "Quantum Dynamics Using Lie Algebras, with Explorations in the Chaotic Behavior of Oscillators." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2012. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3285.
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We study the time evolution of driven quantum systems using analytic, algebraic, and numerical methods. First, we obtain analytic solutions for driven free and oscillator systems by shifting the coordinate and phase of the undriven wave function. We also factorize the quantum evolution operator using the generators of the Lie algebra comprising the Hamiltonian. We obtain coupled ODE's for the time evolution of the Lie algebra parameters. These parameters allow us to find physical properties of oscillator dynamics. In particular we find phase-space trajectories and transition probabilities. We then search for chaotic behavior in the Lie algebra parameters as a signature for dynamical chaos in the quantum system. We plot the trajectories, transition probabilities, and Lyapunov exponents for a wide range of the following physical parameters: strength and duration of the driving force, frequency difference, and anharmonicity of the oscillator. We identify conditions for the appearance of chaos in the system.
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Murugan, Anand. "Fuzzy blackholes." Pomona College, 2007. http://ccdl.libraries.claremont.edu/u?/stc,18.
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The fuzzball model of a black hole is an attempt to resolve the many paradoxes and puzzles of black hole physics that have revealed themselves over the last century. These badly behaved solutions of general relativity have given physicists one of the few laboratories to test candidate quantum theories of gravity. Though little is known about exactly what lies beyond the event horizon, and what the ultimate fate of matter that falls in to a black hole is, we know a few intriguing and elegant semi-classical results that have kept physicists occupied. Among these are the known black hole entropy and the Hawking radiation process.
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Ghosh, Archisman. "TIME-DEPENDENT SYSTEMS AND CHAOS IN STRING THEORY." UKnowledge, 2012. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/physastron_etds/9.
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One of the phenomenal results emerging from string theory is the AdS/CFT correspondence or gauge-gravity duality: In certain cases a theory of gravity is equivalent to a "dual" gauge theory, very similar to the one describing non-gravitational interactions of fundamental subatomic particles. A difficult problem on one side can be mapped to a simpler and solvable problem on the other side using this correspondence. Thus one of the theories can be understood better using the other.
The mapping between theories of gravity and gauge theories has led to new approaches to building models of particle physics from string theory. One of the important features to model is the phenomenon of confinement present in strong interaction of particle physics. This feature is not present in the gauge theory arising in the simplest of the examples of the duality. However this N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills gauge theory enjoys the property of being integrable, i.e. it can be exactly solved in terms of conserved charges. It is expected that if a more realistic theory turns out to be integrable, solvability of the theory would lead to simple analytical expressions for quantities like masses of the hadrons in the theory. In this thesis we show that the existing models of confinement are all nonintegrable--such simple analytic expressions cannot be obtained.
We moreover show that these nonintegrable systems also exhibit features of chaotic dynamical systems, namely, sensitivity to initial conditions and a typical route of transition to chaos. We proceed to study the quantum mechanics of these systems and check whether their properties match those of chaotic quantum systems. Interestingly, the distribution of the spacing of meson excitations measured in the laboratory have been found to match with level-spacing distribution of typical quantum chaotic systems. We find agreement of this distribution with models of confining strong interactions, conforming these as viable models of particle physics arising from string theory.
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Niemi, David A. "Coupling Down Converted Light Into Single Mode Fibers." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2007. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/893.
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We investigate the influence of the pump and collection mode parameters on the collection efficiency of Type I down converted photons into single mode fibers. For best single and coincidence counting rates, we find that the mode sizes should be close to the same size and that the mode waists should be located near the down-conversion crystal. Larger collection waists give higher collection efficiencies, but lower singles counts.
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Landulfo, André Gustavo Scagliusi. "Aspectos relativísticos da teoria da informação quântica /." São Paulo : [s.n.], 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/102507.
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Orientador: George Emanuel Avraam MatsasBanca: Alberto Vasquez Saa
Banca: Daniel Augusto Turolla Vanzella
Banca: Nathan Jacob Berkovits
Banca: Carlos Monken
Resumo: Mesmo tratando a gravidade classicamente, a Teoria Quântica de Campos em Espaços Tempos Curvos (TQCEC) faz previsões impressionantes sobre o comportamento de campos quânticos na presença de campos gravitacionais. Entretanto, ao mesmo tempo em que nos revela efeitos surpreendentes, a TQCEC levanta uma série de questionamentos. O desenvolvimento de uma teoria na interface entre a teoria da relatividade, a mecânica quântica e a teoria da informação poderá não só lançar uma nova luz em tais questões como também nos permitir descobrir novos efeitos de gravitação quântica de baixas energias. Entretanto, os efeitos que a teoria da relatividade causa na teoria da informação quântica são não triviais já no espaço-tempo de Minkowski. Faz-se necessáaria portanto uma análise cuidadosa de tais efeitos já no contexto da relatividade especial. Sendo assim, estudamos primeiro o comportamento das desigualdades de Bell usando férmions de spin 1/2 e fótons quando os detetores que medem spin e polarização, respectivamente, movemse com certa velocidade. Além disso, usamos o limite de Holevo para estudar sistemas de comunicação quando as partes que trocam informação tem um movimento relativo. Como um desenvolvimento natural, estudamos diversos aspectos da teoria da informação quântica no contexto da teoria quântica de campos e, em particular, do efeito Unruh. Tais resultados nos permitiram prever o comportamento de qubits nas vizinhanças de um buraco negro de Schwarzschild
Abstract: Although it treats gravity classically, the Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetimes (QFTCS) makes remarkable predictions about de behavior of quantum fields in the presence of gravitational fields. However, these striking discoveries raises several issues. The development of a theory at the interface between the theory of relativity, quantum mechanics and information theory could not only shed new light on such questions as well as allow us to uncover new low-energy quantum gravity effects. However, relativity affects quantum information theory in a highly non-trivial way already in Minkowski spacetime. Therefore, a careful analysis of these effects in the context of special relativity is needed. For this purpose, we begin investigating how the movement of the spin and polarization detectors influences the Bell inequalities using spin 1/2 fermions and photons, respectively. Then, we use the Holevo bound to investigate quantum communication channels when the parts that trade information have a relative motion. As a natural development, we use quantum field theory and, in particular, the Unruh effect to analyze several aspects of quantum information theory. This enables us to predict the behavior of qubits in the vicinity of a Schwarzschild black hole
Doutor
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Lin, Xiunu. "A SYSTEMATIC STUDY ON THE THERMODYNAMIC AND TRANSPORT PROPERTIES OF LAYERED RUTHENATES." UKnowledge, 2006. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/506.
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In the 4d transition metal oxides, the extension of the 4d orbitals leads to comparable and thus competitive kinetic and coulomb energies. As a result, small perturbations can induce significant changes in their physical properties, giving rise to a class of exotic phenomena that are rarely found in other materials. The ruthenates materials with readily tunable parameters open an avenue to study the strong electronic correlation in the rarely explored territory: the 4d transition metal oxides.
The bilayered system, Ca3Ru2O7, belongs to the Ruddlesden-Popper series in which the physical properties are intimately linked to the lattice degrees of freedom. Ca3Ru2O7, with its quasi-2D and severe structure distortion, is believed to be placed in a unique position at which the role of orbital degrees of freedom is highlighted. The system displays strikingly different behaviors when the field is applied along different crystalline axes. A ferromagnetic (FM) state with full spin polarization is achieved for B||a-axis, but colossal magnetoresistance is realized only for B||b-axis by avoiding the ferromagnetic state. In addition, for B rotating within the ac-plane, slow and strong SdH oscillations periodic in 1/B are observed for T.1.5 K in the presence of metamagnetism. For B|| [110], oscillations are also observed but periodic in B (rather than 1/B) and persist up to 15 K. These properties together with highly unusual spin-charge-lattice coupling near the Mott transition (48 K) are driven by the orbital degrees of freedom.
Complex thermodynamic properties are also observed in the other ruthenates system such as Sr4Ru3O10 and Pr3RuO7. The Sr4Ru3O10 is a triple-layered system that shows a dedicate balance between fluctuations and order. Besides the anomaly at TC=102K, anomalous behavior at low temperatures are also observed in the thermal study, indicative of an unusual magnetic order in this material. The Pr3RuO7 shows one-dimensional structure with zig-zag chain of corner sharing RuO6 octahedra running in parallel with the rows of edge-shared PrO8 pseudo-cubes. Magnetic and thermal properties studies on its single crystals indicate that the exchange interaction is strongly anisotropic. A Schottky-type anomaly at low temperature suggests that the gorderedh chain Pr ions are still sensitive to a crystal field.
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Hsu, Bailey. "Inhomogeneity-Induced Spin Current in Atomic and Condensed Matter Systems." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2010. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/2172.
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I derive and apply quantum propagator techniques to atomic and condensed matter systems. I observe many interesting features by following the evolution of a wavepacket. In atomic systems, I revisit the Stern-Gerlach effect and study the spin dynamics inside an inhomogeneous magnetic field. The results I obtained are not exactly the same as the textbook description of the effect which is usually a manifestation of a perfect space and spin entanglement. This discovery can provide insight on more reliable quantum computation device designs. In condensed matter systems, the doping concentration inhomogeneity leads to the Rashba spin-orbit interaction. This makes it possible to control the spin without the external magnetic field. By propagating the wave packet in systems exhibiting Rashba spin-orbit interactions, I discover several features such as spin separation, spin accumulation, persistent spin-helix, and ripple formation.
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Robertson, Scott James. "Hawking radiation in dispersive media." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1900.
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Hawking radiation, despite its presence in theoretical physics for over thirty years, remains elusive and undetected. It also suffers, in its original context of gravitational black holes, from conceptual difficulties. Of particular note is the trans-Planckian problem, which is concerned with the apparent origin of the radiation in absurdly high frequencies. In order to gain better theoretical understanding and, it is hoped, experimental verification of Hawking radiation, much study is being devoted to systems which model the spacetime geometry of black holes, and which, by analogy, are also thought to emit Hawking radiation. These analogue systems typically exhibit dispersion, which regularizes the wave behaviour at the horizon but does not lend itself well to analytic treatment, thus rendering Hawking’s prediction less secure. A general analytic method for dealing with Hawking radiation in dispersive systems has proved difficult to find. This thesis presents new numerical and analytic results for Hawking emission spectra in dispersive systems. It examines two black-hole analogue systems: it begins by introducing the well-known acoustic model, presenting some original results in that context; then, through analogy with the acoustic model, goes on to develop the lesser-known fibre-optical model. The following original results are presented in the context of both of these models: • an analytic expression for the low-frequency temperature is found for a hyperbolic tangent background profile, valid in the entire parameter space; it is well-known that the spectrum is approximately thermal at low frequencies, but a universally valid expression for the corresponding temperature is an original development; • an analytic expression for the spectrum, valid over almost the entire frequency range, when the velocity profile parameters lie in the regime where the low-frequency temperature is given by the Hawking prediction; previous work has focused on the low-frequency thermal spectrum and the characterization of the deviations from thermality, rather than a single analytic expression; and • a new unexplored regime where no group-velocity horizon exists is examined; the Hawking spectra are found to be non-zero here, but also highly non-thermal, and are found, in the limit of small deviations, to vary with the square of the maximum deviation; the analytic expression for the case with a horizon is found to carry over to this new regime, with appropriate modifications. Furthermore, the thesis examines the results of a classical frequency-shifting experiment in the context of fibre-optical horizons. The theory of this process is presented for both a constant-velocity and a constantly-decelerating pulse, the latter case taking account of the Raman effect. The resulting spectra are at least qualititively explained, but there is a discrepancy between theory and experiment that has not yet been accounted for.
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Capocasa, Eleonora. "Optical and noise studies for Advanced Virgo and filter cavities for quantum noise reduction in gravitational-wave interferometric detectors." Thesis, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017USPCC080/document.
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L'astronomie gravitationnelle a débuté en septembre 2015 avec la première détection de la fusion de deux trous noirs par LIGO. Depuis lors, plusieurs fusions de trous noirs et une fusion d'étoiles à neutrons ont été observées. Advanced Virgo a rejoint les deux observatoires LIGO dans la prise de données en août 2017, augmentant fortement les capacités de localisation du réseau. Afin d'exploiter pleinement le potentiel scientifique de ce nouveau domaine, un énorme effort expérimental est nécessaire pour améliorer la sensibilité des interféromètres. Cette thèse, développée dans ce contexte, est composée de deux parties. La première concerne Advanced Virgo : nous avons développé un budget de bruit automatique pour le bruit de fréquence du laser et nous avons effectué des mesures de caractérisation optique pour les cavités de bras kilométriques. Des pertes aller-retour aussi faibles que 80 ppm ont été mesurées. Elles sont parmi les plus basses jamais mesurées avec un faisceau de cette taille. La deuxième partie concerne la conception et le développement d'une cavité de filtrage de 300 m, un prototype pour démontrer la production de lumière squeezing dépendante de la fréquence avec les propriétés nécessaires pour une réduction du bruit quantique à large bande dans KAGRA, Advanced Virgo et Advanced LIGO. Nous avons contribué à la fois aux phases de conception et d'intégration du projet. Nous avons d'abord fait le design optique de la cavité, y compris les spécifications pour l'optique de la cavité et une estimation détaillée des sources de dégradation pour le squeezing. Nous avons donc développé un système de contrôle pour les miroirs, assemblé les suspensions et finalement aligné et mis la cavité en résonance avec la lumière laserGravitational wave astronomy has started in September 2015 with the first detection of a binary black-hole merger by LIGO. Since then, several black-hole mergers and a binary neutron star merger have been observed. Advanced Virgo joined the two LIGO detector in the observation run, in August 2017, highly increasing the localization capabilities of the network. In order to fully exploit the scientific potential of this new-born field, a huge experimental effort is needed to bring the instruments at their design sensitivity and to further improve them. This thesis, developed in this context, it is composed of two parts. The first is about Advanced Virgo: we have developed an automatic noise budget for the laser frequency noise and we have performed optical characterization measurements for the kilometric arm cavities. Round trip Losses as low as 80 ppm have been measured. They are among the lowest ever measured for beams of these size. The second part is about the design and development of a 300 m filter cavity, a prototype to demonstrate the frequency dependent squeezing production with properties needed for a broadband quantum noise reduction in the future upgrades of KAGRA, Advanced Virgo and Advanced LIGO. We have contributed to the design and integration phases of the project. We have first made the optical design of the cavity, including the the specifications for the main cavity optics and a detailed estimation of the squeezing degradation sources. We have then developed a local control system for the mirrors, assembled the suspensions, and finally aligned and brought the cavity in resonance with the laser light
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Ariyawansa, Gamini. "Semiconductor Quantum Structures for Ultraviolet-to-Infrared Multi-Band Radiation Detection." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2007. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/phy_astr_diss/17.
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In this work, multi-band (multi-color) detector structures considering different semiconductor device concepts and architectures are presented. Results on detectors operating in ultraviolet-to-infrared regions (UV-to-IR) are discussed. Multi-band detectors are based on quantum dot (QD) structures; which include quantum-dots-in-a-well (DWELL), tunneling quantum dot infrared photodetectors (T-QDIPs), and bi-layer quantum dot infrared photodetectors (Bi-QDIPs); and homo-/heterojunction interfacial workfunction internal photoemission (HIWIP/HEIWIP) structures. QD-based detectors show multi-color characteristics in mid- and far-infrared (MIR/FIR) regions, where as HIWIP/HEIWIP detectors show responses in UV or near-infrared (NIR) regions, and MIR-to-FIR regions. In DWELL structures, InAs QDs are placed in an InGaAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) to introduce photon induced electronic transitions from energy states in the QD to that in QW, leading to multi-color response peaks. One of the DWELL detectors shows response peaks at ∼ 6.25, ∼ 10.5 and ∼ 23.3 µm. In T-QDIP structures, photoexcited carriers are selectively collected from InGaAs QDs through resonant tunneling, while the dark current is blocked using AlGaAs/InGaAsAlGaAs/ blocking barriers placed in the structure. A two-color T-QDIP with photoresponse peaks at 6 and 17 µm operating at room temperature and a 6 THz detector operating at 150 K are presented. Bi-QDIPs consist of two layers of InAs QDs with different QD sizes. The detector exhibits three distinct peaks at 5.6, 8.0, and 23.0 µm. A typical HIWIP/HEIWIP detector structure consists of a single (or series of) doped emitter(s) and undoped barrier(s), which are placed between two highly doped contact layers. The dual-band response arises from interband transitions of carriers in the undoped barrier and intraband transitions in the doped emitter. Two HIWIP detectors, p-GaAs/GaAs and p-Si/Si, showing interband responses with wavelength thresholds at 0.82 and 1.05 µm, and intraband responses with zero response thresholds at 70 and 32 µm, respectively, are presented. HEIWIP detectors based on n-GaN/AlGaN show an interband response in the UV region and intraband response in the 2-14 µm region. A GaN/AlGaN detector structure consisting of three electrical contacts for separate UV and IR active regions is proposed for simultaneous measurements of the two components of the photocurrent generated by UV and IR radiation.
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Clarkson, Richard. "Taub-NUT Spacetime in the (A)dS/CFT and M-Theory." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/1264.
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In the following thesis, I will conduct a thermodynamic analysis of the Taub-NUT spacetime in various dimensions, as well as show uses for Taub-NUT and other Hyper-Kahler spacetimes. Thermodynamic analysis (by which I mean the calculation of the entropy and other thermodynamic quantities, and the analysis of these quantities) has in the past been done by use of background subtraction. The recent derivation of the (A)dS/CFT correspondences from String theory has allowed for easier and quicker analysis. I will use Taub-NUT space as a template to test these correspondences against the standard thermodynamic calculations (via the Nöether method), with (in the Taub-NUT-dS case especially) some very interesting results.
There is also interest in obtaining metrics in eleven dimensions that can be reduced down to ten dimensional string theory metrics. Taub-NUT and other Hyper-Kahler metrics already possess the form to easily facilitate the Kaluza-Klein reduction, and embedding such metrics into eleven dimensional metrics containing M2 or M5 branes produces metrics with interesting Dp-brane results.
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Pavlov, Anatoly. "Constraining competing models of dark energy with cosmological observations." Diss., Kansas State University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/20345.
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Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Physics
Bharat Ratra
The last decade of the 20th century was marked by the discovery of the accelerated expansion of the universe. This discovery puzzles physicists and has yet to be fully understood. It contradicts the conventional theory of gravity, i.e. Einstein’s General Relativity (GR). According to GR, a universe filled with dark matter and ordinary matter, i.e. baryons, leptons, and photons, can only expand with deceleration. Two approaches have been developed to study this phenomenon. One attempt is to assume that GR might not be the correct description of gravity, hence a modified theory of gravity has to be developed to account for the observed acceleration of the universe’s expansion. This approach is known as the ”Modified Gravity Theory”. The other way is to assume that the energy budget of the universe has one more component which causes expansion of space with acceleration on large scales. Dark Energy (DE) was introduced as a hypothetical type of energy homogeneously filling the entire universe and very weakly or not at all interacting with ordinary and dark matter. Observational data suggest that if DE is assumed then its contribution to the energy budget of the universe at the current epoch should be about 70% of the total energy density of the universe. In the standard cosmological model a DE term is introduced into the Einstein GR equations through the cosmological constant, a constant in time and space, and proportional to the metric tensor g[subscript]mu[subscript]nu. While this model so far fits most available observational data, it has some significant conceptual shortcomings. Hence there are a number of alternative cosmological models of DE in which the dark energy density is allowed to vary in time and space.
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Vice, President Research Office of the. "Breaking the Surface." Office of the Vice President Research, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/2774.
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Junkermeier, Chad Everett. "Iteration Methods For Approximating The Lowest Order Energy Eigenstate of A Given Symmetry For One- and Two-Dimensional Systems." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2003. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/85.
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Using the idea that a quantum mechanical system drops to its ground state as its temperature goes to absolute zero several operators are devised to enable the approximation of the lowest order energy eigenstate of a given symmetry; as well as an approximation to the energy eigenvalue of the same order.
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Tarbox, Grayson J. "Simulations of Electron Trajectories in an Intense Laser Focus for Photon Scattering Experiments." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2015. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5828.
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An experiment currently underway at BYU is designed to test whether the size of a free electron wave packet affects the character of scattered radiation. Using a semi-classical argument wherein the wave packet is treated as a diffuse charge distribution, one would expect strong suppression of radiation in the direction perpendicular to the propagating field as the wave packet grows in size to be comparable to the wavelength of the driving field. If one disallows the interaction of the wave packet with itself, as is the case when calculating the rate of emission using QED, then regardless of size, the electron wave packet radiates with the strength of a point-like emitter. In support of this experiment, we explore a variety of physical parameters that impact the rate of scattered photons. We employ a classical model to characterize the exposure of electrons to high-intensity laser light in a situation where the electrons are driven by strong ponderomotive gradients. Free electrons are modeled as being donated by low-density helium, which undergoes strong-field ionization early on in the pulse or during a pre-pulse. When exposed to relativistic intensities (i.e. intensities sufficient to cause a Lorentz drift at a significant fraction of c), free electrons experience a Lorentz drift that causes redshifting of the scattered 800 nm laser light. This redshift can be used as a key signature to discern light scattered from the more intense regions of the focus. We characterize the focal volume of initial positions leading to significant redshifting, given a peak intensity of 2 x 10^18 W/cm 2 , which is sufficient to cause a redshift in scattered light of approximately 100 nm. Under this scenario, the beam waist needs to be larger than several wavelengths for a pulse duration of 35 fs in order to ensure free electrons remain in the focus sufficiently long to experience intensities near the peak pulse intensity despite strong ponderomotive gradients. We compute the rate of redshifted scattered photons from an ensemble of electrons distributed throughout the focus and relate the result to the scattered-photon rate of a single electron. We also estimate to what extent the ionization process may produce unwanted light in the redshifted spectral region that may confound the measurement of light scattered from electrons experiencing intensities greater than 1.5 x 10^18 W/cm^2.
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Vitos, Timea. "Closed Timelike Curves in Exact Solutions." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Teoretisk fysik, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-324693.
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This project aims to study general relativity to the extent to understand the occurrence and behaviors of closed timelike curves (CTCs) in several exact solutions of Einstein’s field equations. The rotating black hole solution, the Gödel universe and the cosmic string solutions are studied in detail to show how CTCs arise in these spacetimes. The chronology-violationing paradoxes and other unphysical aspects of CTCs are discussed. The spacetimes where CTCs arise possess properties which are argumented to be unphysical, such as lack of asymptotic flatness and being innite models. With quantum computational networks it is possible to resolve the paradoxes which CTCs evoke. With all these attempts of resolving CTCs, our conclusion is that CTCs exist quantum mechanically, but there is a mechanism which inhibits them to be detected classically.Detta projekt åsyftar att studera allmän relativitet i den grad att kunna förstå uppkomsten och företeelsen av tidsliknande slutna kurvor (CTC) i några exakta lösningar till Einsteins ekvationer. Dessa lösningar inkluderar Gödel universen, kosmiska strängar och det roterande svarta hålet, där CTC studeras i mer detalj. CTC är kronologi-kränkande företeelser och paradoxen som uppstår presenteras, samt de argument som ligger till grund till att CTC inte är fysikaliskt verkliga objekt. De tidrum där CTC uppkommer delar gemensamma egenskaper som anses ofysikaliska, som att vara icke asymptotiskt platta tidrum, samt att vara oändliga modeller. Med kvantinformatiska nätverk kan CTC illustreras och de klassiska kronologi-paradoxen kan rättas ut. Slutsatsen är att CTC existerar kvantmekaniskt, men det fnns en mekanism i verkligheten som förhindrar dessa att bli detekterade klassiskt.
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Magleby, Stephanie Allred. "The Violation of Bell's Inequality in a Deterministic but Nonlocal Model." Diss., CLICK HERE for online access, 2006. http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/ETD/image/etd1197.pdf.
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Parameswaran, Sreeja. "Solar Energy Conversion in Plants and Bacteria Studied Using FTIR Difference Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Computational Methodologies." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2009. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/phy_astr_diss/32.
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This dissertation presents a study of the molecular mechanism underlying the highly efficient solar energy conversion processes that occur in the Photosystem I (PS I) reaction centers in plants and bacteria. The primary electron donor P700 is at the heart of solar energy conversion process in PS I and the aim is to obtain a better understanding of the electronic and structural organization of P700 in the ground and excited states. Static Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) difference spectroscopy (DS) in combination with site directed mutagenesis and Density Functional Theory (DFT) based vibrational frequency simulations were used to investigate how protein interactions such as histidine ligation and hydrogen bonding modulate this organization. (P700+-P700) FTIR DS at 77K were obtained from a series of mutants from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. 6803 (S. 6803) where the amino acid residues near the C=O groups of the two chlorophylls of P700 where specifically changed. (P700+-P700) FTIR DS was also obtained for a set of mutants from C. reinhardtii where the axial ligand to A0-, the primary electron acceptor in PS I was modified. The FTIR DS obtained from these mutants provides information on the axial ligands, the hydrogen bonding status as well as the polarity of the environment of specific functional groups that are part of the chlorophyll molecules that constitute P700. Assignment of the FTIR bands to vibrational modes in specific types of environment is very difficult. In order to assist the assignment of the difference bands in experimental spectra DFT based vibrational mode frequency calculations were undertaken for Chl-a and Chl-a+ model molecular systems under different set of conditions; in the gas phase, in solvents using the Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM), in the presence of explicit solvent molecules using QM/MM methods, and in the presence of axial ligands and hydrogen bonds. DFT methods were also used to calculate the charge, spin and redox properties of Chl-a/Chl-a’ dimer models that are representative of P700, the primary electron donor in PS I.
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Cunningham, Eric Flint. "Photoemission by Large Electron Wave Packets Emitted Out the Side of a Relativistic Laser Focus." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2011. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3054.
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There are at least two common models for calculating the photoemission of accelerated electrons. The 'extended-charge-distribution' method uses the quantum probability current (multiplied by the electron charge) as a source current for Maxwell's equations. The 'point-like-emitter' method treats the electron like a point particle instead of like a diffuse body of charge. Our goal is to differentiate between these two viewpoints empirically. To do this, we consider a large electron wave packet in a high-intensity laser field, in which case the two viewpoints predict measurable photoemission rates that differ by orders of magnitude. Under the treatment of the 'extended-charge-distribution' model, the strength of the radiated field is significantly limited by interferences between different portions of the oscillating charge density. Alternatively, no suppression of photoemission occurs under the 'point-like-emitter' model because the electron is depicted as having no spatial extent. We designed an experiment to characterize the photoemission rates of electrons accelerated in a relativistic laser focus. Free electron wave packets are produced through ionization by an intense laser pulse at the center of a large vacuum chamber. These quantum wave packets can become comparable in size to the laser wavelength through natural spreading and interactions with the sharp ponderomotive gradients of the laser focus. Electron radiation emitted out the side of the focus is collected by one-to-one imaging into a 105-micron gold-jacketed fiber, which carries the light to a single photon detector located outside the chamber. The electron radiation is red-shifted due to mild relativistic acceleration, and we use this signature to spectrally filter the outgoing light to discriminate against background. In addition, the temporal resolution of the electronics allows distinction between light that travels directly from the focus into the collection system and laser light that may scatter from the chamber wall.
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Hagelberg, Frank. "Electron Dynamics in Molecular Interactions: Principles and Applications." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2014. http://amzn.com/1848164874.
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This volume provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory of electronic motion in molecular processes an increasingly relevant and rapidly expanding segment of molecular quantum dynamics. Emphasis is placed on describing and interpreting transitions between electronic states in molecules as they occur typically in cases of reactive scattering between molecules, photoexcitation or nonadiabatic coupling between electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom.
Electron Dynamics in Molecular Interactions aims at a synoptic presentation of some very recent theoretical efforts to solve the electronic problem in quantum molecular dynamics, contrasting them with more traditional schemes. The presented models are derived from their roots in basic quantum theory, their interrelations are discussed, and their characteristic applications to concrete chemical systems are outlined. This volume also includes an assessment of the present status of electron dynamics and a report on novel developments to meet the current challenges in the field.
Further, this monograph responds to a need for a systematic comparative treatise on nonadiabatic theories of quantum molecular dynamics, which are of considerably higher complexity than the more traditional adiabatic approaches and are steadily gaining in importance. This volume addresses a broad readership ranging from physics or chemistry graduate students to specialists in the field of theoretical quantum dynamics.https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1055/thumbnail.jpg
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Hewageegana, Prabath. "Theory of Electronic and Optical Properties of Nanostructures." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2008. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/phy_astr_diss/27.
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"There is plenty of room at the bottom." This bold and prophetic statement from Nobel laureate Richard Feynman back in 1950s at Cal Tech launched the Nano Age and predicted, quite accurately, the explosion in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Now this is a fast developing area in both science and technology. Many think this would bring the greatest technological revolution in the history of mankind. To understand electronic and optical properties of nanostructures, the following problems have been studied. In particular, intensity of mid-infrared light transmitted through a metallic diffraction grating has been theoretically studied. It has been shown that for s-polarized light the enhancement of the transmitted light is much stronger than for p-polarized light. By tuning the parameters of the diffraction grating enhancement can be increased by a few orders of magnitude. The spatial distribution of the transmitted light is highly nonuniform with very sharp peaks, which have the spatial widths about 10 nm. Furthermore, under the ultra fast response in nanostructures, the following two related goals have been proved: (a) the two-photon coherent control allows one to dynamically control electron emission from randomly rough surfaces, which is localized within a few nanometers. (b) the photoelectron emission from metal nanostructures in the strong-field (quasistationary) regime allows coherent control with extremely high contrast, suitable for nanoelectronics applications. To investigate the electron transport properties of two dimensional carbon called graphene, a localization of an electron in a graphene quantum dot with a sharp boundary has been considered. It has been found that if the parameters of the confinement potential satisfy a special condition then the electron can be strongly localized in such quantum dot. Also the energy spectra of an electron in a graphene quantum ring has been analyzed. Furthermore, it has been shown that in a double dot system some energy states becomes strongly localized with an infinite trapping time. Such states are achieved only at one value of the inter-dot separation. Also a periodic array of quantum dots in graphene have been considered. In this case the states with infinitely large trapping time are realized at all values of inter-dot separation smaller than some critical value.