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Die Entwicklung und Herstellung neuer Materialsysteme gehört seit jeher zu den Triebkräften des technischen Fortschritts. Eine neue Klasse im Bereich der Legierungen, welche als Hochentropielegierungen (HEA) bezeichnet wird, gewinnt dabei seit etwa zehn Jahren zunehmend an Interesse. Konventionelle Legierungen besitzen einen Hauptbestandteil, welcher üblicherweise den Großteil der molaren Zusammensetzung ausmacht, wie z.B. Eisen im Stahl. Eine HEA hingegen zeichnet sich dadurch aus, dass mindestens vier verschiedene Elemente in ungefähr gleichen Volumenanteilen vorliegen. In diesem Fall kommt es zu einer deutlichen Zunahme der namensgebenden Mischungsentropie gegenüber der Enthalpie, was wiederum zur präferierten Bildung einphasiger, fester Lösungen anstelle von geordneten Metallphasen führt. Durch die nahezu unbegrenzte Anzahl möglicher Element- und Anteilskombinationen zur Bildung von HEAs ergibt sich ein mindestens ebenso großer Raum an potentiellen Anwendungen. Auf dem Gebiet der Materialwissenschaften wurden beispielsweise bereits HEAs mit herausragenden Verschleiß- und Korrosionseigenschaften demonstriert. Auch hinsichtlich Härte, Zug- und Umformfestigkeit oder Strahlungsbeständigkeit existieren vielversprechende Arbeiten, welche die hohe Anwendungsrelevanz von HEAs untermauern. Zahlreiche Herstellungsmethoden konnten dabei bereits erfolgreich auf HEAs angewandt werden, wobei alle Dimensionen, von wenige nm dünnen Schichten bis zu gegossenen oder gesinterten Volumenkörpern im cm-Bereich, abgedeckt werden. Der Einsatz moderner 3D-Drucktechnik erlaubt zudem die Kombination der herausragenden Materialeigenschaften von HEAs in komplex geformten Bauteilen. Trotz des hohen und noch immer rapide zunehmenden Forschungsinteresses an HEAs gibt es nur eine sehr überschaubare Anzahl an Arbeiten, die sich mit der gezielten Untersuchung struktureller, chemischer oder elektronischer Aspekte kristalliner HEA-Oberflächen auseinandersetzen. Ein Grund dafür ist die unzureichende, The development and fabrication of new material systems has always been one of the driving forces of technical progress. A new class in the field of alloys, known as high entropy alloys (HEA), has been gaining a rising interest since about ten years. Conventional alloys have one main component, which usually makes up the majority of the molar composition, such as iron in steel. A HEA, on the other hand, is characterized by the fact that at least four different elements are present in approximately equal volume proportions. In this case, there is a significant increase in the eponymous mixing entropy compared to the enthalpy, which in turn leads to the preferential formation of single-phase solid solutions instead of well ordered metallic phases. The almost unlimited number of possible element and proportion combinations to form HEAs results in at least an equally large range of potential applications. In the field of materials science, for example, HEAs with outstanding wear and corrosion properties have already been demonstrated. There is also promising work with regard to hardness, tensile and yield strength or irradiation resistance, which underlines the high applicational relevance of HEAs. Numerous manufacturing methods have already been successfully applied to HEAs, covering all dimensions, from layers as thin as a few nm to cast or sintered solids in the cm range. The use of modern 3D printing technology also allows the combination of the outstanding material properties of HEAs with complex shaped components. Despite the high and still increasing research interest in HEAs, there is only a very limited number of works that deal with the investigation of structural, chemical or electronic aspects of crystalline HEA surfaces. One reason for this is the insufficient availability of such systems, as the production of large crystals with high order usually requires very slow and well-controlled growth processes. One way to overcome this bottleneck is the deposition

Laser-driven plasma accelerators can produce high-energy, high peak current ion beams by irradiating solid materials with ultra-intense laser pulses. This innovative concept attracts a lot of attention for various multidisciplinary applications as a compact and energy-efficient alternative to conventional accelerators. The maturation of plasma accelerators from complex physics experiments to turnkey particle sources for practical applications necessitates breakthroughs in the generated beam parameters, their robustness and scalability to higher repetition rates and efficiencies. This thesis investigates viable optimisation strategies for enhancing ion acceleration from thin foil targets in ultra-intense laser-plasma interactions. The influence of the detailed laser pulse parameters on plasma-based ion acceleration has been systematically investigated in a series of experiments carried out on two state-of-the-art high-power laser systems. A central aspect of this work is the establishment and integration of laser diagnostics and operational techniques to advance control of the interaction conditions for maximum acceleration performance. Meticulous efforts in continuously monitoring and enhancing the temporal intensity contrast of the laser system, enabled to optimise ion acceleration in two different regimes, each offering unique perspectives for applications. Using the widely established target-normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) scheme and adjusting the temporal shape of the laser pulse accordingly, proton energies up to 70 MeV were reliably obtained over many months of operation. Asymmetric laser pulses, deviating significantly from the standard conditions of an ideally compressed pulse, resulted in the highest particle numbers and an average energy gain ≥ 37 %. This beam quality enhancement is demonstrated across a broad range of parameters, including thickness and material of the target, laser energy and temporal intensity contrast. To overcome the energy scaling

Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit der sogenannten Doppelkopie, welche erstmals im Rahmen von Streuamaplituden formuliert wurde und eine Beziehung zwischen Yang-Mills-Theorie und der Gravitation herstellt. Yang-Mills-Streuamplituden tragen sowohl kinematische Informationen als auch Informationen, die mit einer Eigenschaft namens Farbe verbunden sind. Die Doppelkopie besagt, dass die Ersetzung der Farbinformation in Yang-Mills-Amplituden durch eine andere Kopie ihrer kinematischen Information zu Gravitationsamplituden führt, sofern bestimmte algebraische Bedingungen erfüllt sind. Die algebraischen Bedingungen, die für die Doppelkopie erforderlich sind, deuten auf die Existenz einer Algebra hin, die der Kinematik der Yang-Mills-Theorie zugrunde liegt und die kinematische Algebra genannt wird. In den letzten fünfzehn Jahren hat die Doppelkopie die Art und Weise, wie Streuungsberechnungen in der Gravitation durchgeführt werden, revolutioniert, und dennoch bleibt ein grundsätzliches Verständnis der Doppelkopie und der kinematischen Algebra schwer zu fassen. In dieser Arbeit verlassen wir den Rahmen der Streuamplituden und behandeln dieses Problem mit Hilfe von Homotopie-Algebren, den mathematischen Strukturen, die perturbativen Feldtheorien, einschließlich ihrer Off-Shell Struktur, zugrunde liegen. Insbesondere die der Yang-Mills-Theorie zugrunde liegende Algebra lässt sich in algebraische Strukturen für Farbe und Kinematik faktorisieren. Unter Verwendung dieser Faktorisierung konstruieren wir explizit eine kinematische Algebra für die Yang-Mills Theorie bis zur quartischen Ordnung in der Störungstheorie. Dann ersetzen wir die Farbalgebra durch eine zweite Kopie der kinematischen Algebra und erhalten eine Gravitationstheorie bis hinzu und einschließlich der quartischen Wechselwirkungen. Außerdem erklären wir, inwiefern die kinematische Algebra die Struktur ist, die für die Konsistenz der resultierenden Gravitationstheorie verantwortlich ist. Unsere algebraische Herangehenswei, This thesis deals with a relation between Yang-Mills theory and gravity called the double copy, which was first formulated in the framework of scattering amplitudes. Yang-Mills scattering amplitudes carry kinematic information as well as information associated with a property called color. The double copy states that, provided that certain algebraic conditions are met, replacing the color information of Yang-Mills amplitudes with another copy of their kinematic information yields gravitational amplitudes. The algebraic conditions required by the double copy hint at the existence of an algebra underlying the kinematics of Yang-Mills called the kinematic algebra. In the last fifteen years, the double copy has revolutionized the way that scattering computations are performed in gravity, and, yet, a first principle understanding of the double copy and the kinematic algebra remains elusive. In this thesis we divert from scattering amplitudes and address this problem in the framework of homotopy algebras, which are the mathematical structures underlying perturbative field theories, including their off-shell structure. In particular, the algebra underlying Yang-Mills theory factorizes into color and kinematic algebraic structures. Using this factorization, we construct explicitly a kinematic algebra for Yang-Mills theory to quartic order in perturbation theory. Then, following the double copy, we replace the color algebra with a second copy of the kinematic algebra and we obtain gravity up to and including quartic interactions. Moreover, we explain how the kinematic algebra is responsible for the consistency of the resulting gravity theory. Our algebraic approach to the double copy is completely off-shell, gauge independent and local, and provides a novel perspective on the algebraic foundations and origins of the double copy.

The study at hand introduces a newapproach to characterize fatigue crack growth in small strain linear viscoelastic solids by configurational mechanics. In this study, Prony series with n-Maxwell elements are used to describe the viscoelastic behavior. As a starting point in this work, the local balance of energy momentum is derived using the free energy density. Moreover, at cyclic loading, the cyclic free energy substitutes the free energy. Using the cyclic free energy, the balance of cyclic energy momentum is obtained. The newly derived balance law at cyclic loading is appropriate for each cycle. In the finite element framework, nodal material forces and cyclic nodal material forces are obtained using the weak and discretized forms of the balance of energy momentum and cyclic energy momentum, respectively. The crack driving force and the cyclic crack driving force are determined by the nodal material forces and the cyclic nodal material forces, respectively. Finally, numerical examples are shown to illustrate path-independence of the domain integrals using material forces and cyclic material forces. The existence of the balance of energy momentum and cyclic energy momentum are also illustrated by numerical examples.

Spontaneous Raman spectroscopy (SR) is a versatile method for analysis and visualization of ferroelectric crystal structures, including domain walls. Nevertheless, the necessary acquisition time makes SR impractical for in situ analysis and large scale imaging. In this work, we introduce broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (B-CARS) as a high-speed alternative to conventional Raman techniques and demonstrate its benefits for ferroelectric domain wall analysis. Using the example of poled lithium niobate, we compare the spectral output of both techniques in terms of domain wall signatures and imaging capabilities. We extract the Raman-like resonant part of the coherent anti-Stokes signal via a Kramers–Kronigbased phase retrieval algorithm and compare the raw and phase-retrieved signals to SR characteristics. Finally, we propose a mechanism for the observed domain wall signal strength that resembles a Cerenkov-like behavior, in close analogy to domain wall signatures obtained by secondharmonic generation imaging.We, thus, lay here the foundations for future investigations on other poled ferroelectric crystals using B-CARS.

This doctoral thesis presents an extensive study on the applications of generalized coherent states (GCS) for the quantum dynamics of many-body systems. The research starts with exploring the fundamental properties of generalized coherent states, which are created by generators of the SU($M$) group acting on an extreme state, and demonstrating their role in representing ideal quantum condensates. A significant feature is the relationship between generalized coherent states and the more standard Glauber coherent states (CS). Similarities in their overcomplete and non-orthogonal nature are shown, alongside crucial differences with respect to $U(1)$ symmetry and entanglement properties, which generalized coherent states solely adhere to. Furthermore, this thesis delves into the nonequilibrium dynamics of GCS as well as Glauber CS under nonlinear interactions. Combining analytical analysis and numerical calculations, it is found that while their two-point correlation functions are equivalent in the thermodynamic limit, their autocorrelation functions exhibit distinctly different characteristics. It is proven analytically that the autocorrelation functions of the evolved GCS relate to the ones of the corresponding Glauber CS through a Fourier series relation, which arises due to the $U(1)$ symmetry of the GCS. A substantial part of this thesis is dedicated to investigating the dynamics of the Bose-Hubbard model, incorporating both nonlinear interaction and tunneling term. This investigation introduces a novel approach which employs an Ansatz for the wave function in terms of a linear combination of GCS, where the differential equations of all the variables are determined by the time-dependent variational principle without truncation. This innovative method is adeptly applied to the nonequilibrium dynamics in various scenarios, from the bosonic Josephson Junction model where some fundamental quantum effects can be revealed by a handful of GCS basis functions, to large sys

PV solar cells and modules have to show high-efficiency at very low cost. The idea of the project is to understand and test the feasibility of an all-aluminum-silicon (AlSi)-wired solar cell and solar module enabling an easy cell string for module assembly. The cell is thought to be build up in the best case by a silicon wafer cleaned and passivated by dielectric layer which will be laser opened in lines or dashes or dots for contacting. The AlSi wires are used to contact the opened areas during high temperature treatment forming contacts to silicon with local doping. The main advantage of the concept is a much cheaper cell and module fabrication as a silver- and diffusion-doping-free solar cell is build, cell contacting and module cell string connection could be one process step (i.e. no paste screen-printing and no additional stringing), thus no copper nor silver is used. Solar cell structures of interest have to withstand the eutectic temperature of silicon, thus industrial PERC and TOPCon could be possible candidates.

A ring mesh is a large-scale manufacturable structure with versatile applications in architecture and for protective systems. However, the static and dynamic numerical simulation of a large-scale ring mesh is a resource-intensive task due to the many nonlinear contact points between the individual rings. To characterize the rigid body behavior of the ring mesh, in this paper, a representative volume element is loaded under different in-plane directions. The Green-Lagrangian strain tensor components are obtained as a result. An implicit one-step algorithm is used for this dynamic relaxation issue, modified by the use of stiff springs. Static convergence positions of a representative volume element are determined in several multiaxial tensile directions. The obtained deformation parameters can be used to simulate large deformations of large-scaled ring meshes.

To develop a hydrogel sensor system using the Hall effect to detect the degree of swelling, gels containing high concentrations of magnetic particles are necessary to induce a strong magnetic field. For this purpose, hydrogels based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) cross-linked with Laponite XLS are modified with various magnetic nanoparticles. The focus of this work is to introduce high particle densities with a homogeneous distribution into the gel. Particles are coated with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate to bind them into the network structure. The swelling behavior and temperature response of gels containing pure and modified particles are compared to the unmodified clay gel. Ferrogels are further synthesized in a magnetic field to permanently align magnetic nanoparticles in the network. This results in permanently embedded rod-like structures spanning the entire length of the gel. The influence of this anisotropic distribution on the mechanical properties of the hydrogel is investigated through compression measurements.

It is commonly expected, that the entanglement entropy for eigenstates of quantum chaotic systems can be described by random matrix theory. However, the random matrix predictions account for structureless random states, only. It is unclear, how the subsystem structure of actual bipartite systems influences the entanglement. We investigate the effect of such a structure on the bipartite entanglement for eigenstates of time-periodically kicked Floquet systems. To this end, the expression for the eigenstate entanglement is transferred into a dynamical quantity, which is particularly suited for an evaluation using analytical methods for time evolution. We present three approaches and apply each to an appropriate minimal model. Based on the supersymmetry method, we compute the entanglement of structureless random matrices and thereby establish exact results for the entropy of random matrix eigenstates. The Weingarten calculus is used for computing the entanglement of an inherent bipartite random matrix ensemble. Moreover, based on semiclassical path integrals, we devise a trace formula, which quantifies entanglement of chaotic Floquet systems in terms of classical orbits. We thereby show, that the entanglement of strongly coupled bipartite Floquet systems coincides in the semiclassical limit with the entanglement of structureless random matrices. Several possible generalizations of our methods to autonomous systems and other entropies are discussed.:1. Introduction 2. Fundamentals on bipartite systems and entanglement 2.1. Classical and quantum chaotic systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.1.1. Classical mechanical systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.1.2. Quantum systems and random matrix theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 2.2. Bipartite systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2.3. Entanglement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., Es wird üblicherweise angenommen, dass die Verschränkungsentropie von Eigenzuständen quantenchaotischer Systeme durch die Theorie der Zufallsmatrizen beschrieben wird. Diese Zufallsmatrixvorhersage bezieht sich nur auf strukturlose Zufallszustände. Es ist nicht klar, wie sich die Subsystemstruktur realer, bipartiter Systeme auf die Verschränkung auswirkt. Wir untersuchen die Konsequenzen einer solchen Struktur auf die bipartite Verschränkung der Eigenzustände von zeit-periodisch gestoßenen Floquet-Systemen. Dazu wird der Ausdruck für die Eigenzustandsverschränkung in eine dynamische Größe überführt, welche besonders geeignet ist für die Anwendung analytischer Methoden zur Zeitentwicklung. Wir präsentieren drei Ansätze und wenden jeden auf ein zugehöriges minimales Modell an. Basierend auf der Supersymmetriemethode berechnen wir die Verschränkung in strukturlosen Zufallsmatrizen und erhalten exakte Resultate für die Entropie von Zufallsmatrixeigenzuständen. Der Weingarten-Formalismus wird genutzt, um die Verschränkung in einem inhärent bipartiten Zufallsmatrixmodell zu berechnen. Außerdem stellen wir, basierend auf semiklassischen Pfad-Integralen, eine Spurformel auf, welche die Verschränkung in chaotischen Floquet-Systemen mittels klassischer Orbits ausdrückt. Wir zeigen über diesen Weg, dass die Verschränkung in stark gekoppelten, bipartiten Floquet-Systemen im semiklassischen Limes mit der Verschränkung in strukturlosen Zufallsmatrizen übereinstimmt. Es werden mehrere Verallgemeinerungen unserer Methoden für autonome Systeme und andere Entropien diskutiert.:1. Introduction 2. Fundamentals on bipartite systems and entanglement 2.1. Classical and quantum chaotic systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.1.1. Classical mechanical systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.1.2. Quantum systems and random matrix theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 2.2. Bipartite systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In dieser Arbeit wird untersucht, ob es möglich ist, mit den Mitteln der Theoretischen Physik mehr auszusagen über das, was sich unter dem Vakuum, aus dem der Urknall erfolgte, verstehen lässt. Hierbei wird deutlich, dass es sich nicht mehr um eine Theorie im eigentlichen Sinne, also um widerlegbare Aussagen handeln, sondern stattdessen um eine Art Modell, das nur anhand von Indizien auf seine Tauglichkeit geprüft werden kann, indem z. B. bisher unbekannte Vorhersagen bestätigt werden oder nicht. Eine solche bisher unbekannte fundamentale Aussage ist, dass dieses Modell zum Ergebnis hat, Schwarze Riesenlöcher entstehen mit dem Freisetzen Dunkler Materie als erstes nach dem Urknall und sind für die Strukturierung des Universums maßgeblich. Beim Begründen dieses Modells wird auf die Methodik in der Veröffentlichung über die mögliche Anatomie Schwarzer Löcher zurückgegriffen. Allerdings konnte in jener Arbeit die mathematische Möglichkeit des Vakuums lediglich als Existenz zweier Antipoden, Energie und Dunkler Energie, am gleichen Ort genannt, aber kein physikalischer Weg dazu aufgezeigt werden. Dort hieß es „Zur Erklärung des Vakuumzustands sehe ich keine Möglichkeit, weil er durch den simplen Zusammenhang, dass gleichviel Energie beider Arten am gleichen Ort sich gegenseitig auslöschen, also von jeder der beiden Energiearten einzeln aus betrachtet praktisch nicht mehr vorhanden ist, mathematisch geradezu trivial, aber physikalisch nicht erklärbar scheint.“ Hier wird nun eine mögliche physikalische Lösung aufgezeigt, die aber ein Entstehen der G-Bosonen erst nach dem Urknall, wie dort noch angenommen, ausschließt. Jetzt muss vielmehr angenommen werden, dass die G-Bosonen bereits im Vakuum existieren und als Dunkle Materie der Gegenpart zur Dunklen Energie sind. Es wird gezeigt, dass sehr wohl zwei sich vollständig kompensierende Dinge, die sich auch noch abstoßen, dennoch einen stabilen Zustand haben können und alle Eigenschaften, die physikalisch von einem Vakuum erw

Durch die Lebenszyklusanalyse von Bauwerkintegrierten Photovoltaik(BIPV)-Fassaden werden deren ökologische Vorteile gegenüber konventionellen Fassadenlösungen aufgezeigt. Die frühzeitige Analyse zu Beginn des Planungsprozesses ermöglicht es, die individuellen Potentiale von Baukörpern zu ermitteln und ermöglicht sichere Planungsentscheidungen durch Kennwerten. In dem Beitrag erfolgen Lebenszyklusanalysen an einem Fallbeispiel mit unterschiedlichen Betrachtungsebenen und methodischen Ansätzen. Es wird geprüft, welche Ansätze die Entscheidungsfindung von Architekt:innen und Planer:innen im Entwurfsprozess am besten unterstützen. Außerdem werden anwendungsbezogenen Erkenntnisse und Randbedingungen bei der Bilanzierung der Treibhausgasemissionen über den gesamten Lebenszyklus von BIPV-Fassaden identifiziert., Life cycle analysis of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) façades demonstrates their ecological advantages over conventional façade solutions. The early analysis at the beginning of the planning process makes it possible to determine the individual potential of building structures and enables reliable planning decisions based on characteristic values. In this article, life cycle analyses are carried out using a case study with different perspectives and methodological approaches. It is examined which approaches best support the decision-making of architects and planners in the design process. In addition, practical findings and boundary conditions for balancing greenhouse gas emissions over the entire life cycle of BIPV façades are identified.

Die Herkunft galaktischer sehr hochenergetischer und ultrahochenergetischer kosmischer Strahlung bleibt rätselhaft, aber Studien weisen auf zahlreiche galaktische Quellen namens PeVatrons hin, die Teilchen auf Petaelektronenvolt-Energien beschleunigen können, darunter Pulsarwindnebel, Supernovareste und Mikroquasare. Die Untersuchung der Gammastrahlung bei Giga- und Teraelektronenvolt-Energien bietet entscheidende Einblicke in ihre Eigenschaften und erweitert unser Verständnis hochenergetischer astrophysikalischer Phänomene. Diese Arbeit analysiert Daten des VERITAS-Gammastrahlenobservatoriums, bestehend aus vier 12-Meter-Tscherenkow-Teleskopen in Arizona, um ein umfassendes Verständnis von zwei galaktischen Quellen zu liefern: MGRO J1908+06, ein potenzieller PeVatron-Kandidat, und SS 433, ein Mikroquasar. MGRO J1908+06 wurde bereits in verschiedenen Wellenlängen untersucht, wobei mehrere potenzielle Ursprünge der Strahlung identifiziert wurden. Diese Arbeit führt eine umfassende Neuuntersuchung seiner ausgedehnten Gammastrahlenemissionen durch, um präzisere Abschätzungen des Gammastrahlenflusses zu liefern und frühere Ergebnisse zu aktualisieren. Die Untersuchung deutet auf einen möglichen Ursprung der Gammastrahlung sowohl aus einem Relikt eines Pulsar-Windnebels als auch aus einem neuen Pulsar-Windnebel im Feld von MGRO J1908+06 hin. Erstmals wird in den VERITAS-Daten eine signifikante Gammastrahlenemission von SS 433 festgestellt. Es werden die Gammastrahlen der Jets bei größeren Abständen und ihre Morphologie untersucht, und TeV-Spektren werden generiert. Modelle zeigen einen leptonischen Ursprung dieser Emissionen, ohne dass eine signifikante Gammastrahlenemission in der Nähe des Schwarzen Lochs oder Anzeichen für Variabilität beobachtet werden. Ausblickend präsentiert die Arbeit Untersuchungen zur Optimierung der Eigenschaften des Cherenkov-Teleskop-Array Observatoriums, mit Fokus auf die Platzierung von Illuminatoren und Abschattungseffekte zwischen Teleskop, The origins of galactic very-high energy and ultra-high energy cosmic rays remain elusive. Recent studies propose the existence of PeVatrons, galactic sources capable of accelerating particles to Petaelectronvolt energies, such as pulsar wind nebulae, supernova remnants, and micro-quasars. Exploring gamma-ray emission at Giga- and Teraelectronvolt energies offers crucial insights into their properties, enriching our understanding of high-energy astrophysical phenomena. This thesis focuses on analysing data from the VERITAS gamma-ray observatory, comprising four 12-meter imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes in Arizona. Employing 3D maximum-likelihood analysis methods, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of two extended galactic sources: MGRO J1908+06, a potential PeVatron candidate, and SS 433, a microquasar. MGRO J1908+06, though unidentified, has been scrutinized across various wavelengths, with several potential counterparts identified previously. This thesis undertakes a re-analysis of its extended gamma-ray emission, leveraging updated analysis methods and recent VERITAS observations. The improved analysis method provides a more accurate estimate of the gamma-ray flux, revising prior VERITAS flux estimates and suggesting a scenario involving both relic and new pulsar wind nebulae. Regarding SS 433, significant gamma-ray emission is detected in VERITAS data for the first time. The morphological properties of the gamma-ray emission regions seen at larger distances along the jets are examined, and their TeV spectra are constructed. Modelling supports a leptonic origin of these emissions, with no significant gamma-ray emission observed near the black hole or any indication of variability. Looking ahead, the thesis presents investigations aimed at optimizing the characteristics of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory, focusing on illuminator placement and mutual shadowing effects to enhance telescope positioning within the array.

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory instruments about 1 km3 of deep, glacial ice at the geographic South Pole. It uses 5160 photomultipliers to detect Cherenkov light emitted by charged relativistic particles. An unexpected light propagation effect observed by the experiment is an anisotropic attenuation, which is aligned with the local flow direction of the ice. We examine birefringent light propagation through the polycrystalline ice microstructure as a possible explanation for this effect. The predictions of a first-principles model developed for this purpose, in particular curved light trajectories resulting from asymmetric diffusion, provide a qualitatively good match to the main features of the data. This in turn allows us to deduce ice crystal properties. Since the wavelength of the detected light is short compared to the crystal size, these crystal properties include not only the crystal orientation fabric, but also the average crystal size and shape, as a function of depth. By adding small empirical corrections to this first-principles model, a quantitatively accurate description of the optical properties of the IceCube glacial ice is obtained. In this paper, we present the experimental signature of ice optical anisotropy observed in IceCube light-emitting diode (LED) calibration data, the theory and parameterization of the birefringence effect, the fitting procedures of these parameterizations to experimental data, and the inferred crystal properties., Peer Reviewed

This repository contains the original experimental data plotted in the paper titled "Terrylene on monolayer WS2: coverage-dependent molecular re-orientation and interfacial electronic energy levels" submitted to the journal Materials Advances., Dieses Repository enthält die ursprünglichen experimentellen Daten, die in dem Artikel mit dem Titel „Terrylene on monolayer WS2: coverage-dependent molecular re-orientation and interfacial electronic energy levels“ aufgezeichnet wurden, der bei der Zeitschrift Materials Advances eingereicht wurde. Der Datensatz enthält alle relevanten Roh- und verarbeiteten Daten, die den im Artikel vorgestellten Erkenntnissen zugrunde liegen., This repository contains the original experimental data plotted in the paper titled "Terrylene on monolayer WS2: coverage-dependent molecular re-orientation and interfacial electronic energy levels" submitted to the journal Materials Advances. The dataset includes all relevant raw and processed data that underpin the findings presented in the paper.

Entertaining the possibility of time travel will invariably challenge dearly-held concepts in fundamental physics. It becomes relatively easy to construct multiple logical contradictions using differing starting points from various well-established fields of physics. Sometimes, the interpretation is that only a full theory of quantum gravity will be able to settle these logical contradictions. Even then, it remains unclear if the multitude of problems could be overcome. Yet as definitive as this seems to the notion of time travel in physics, such recourse to quantum gravity comes with its own, long-standing challenge to most of these counter-arguments to time travel: These arguments rely on time, while quantum gravity is (in)famously stuck with the problem of time. One attempt to answer this problem within the canonical framework resulted in the Page–Wootters formalism, and its recent gauge-theoretic reinterpretation as an emergent notion of time. Herein, we will begin a program to study toy models implementing the Hamiltonian constraint in quantum theory, with an aim toward understanding what an emergent notion of time can tell us about the (im)possibility of time travel., Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), Spanish Project, Czech Science Foundation, Marsden Fund, Peer Reviewed

Die konforme Feldtheorie findet in verschiedenen Bereichen Anwendungen, von statistischen Systemen in der Nähe kritischer Punkte bis hin zur Quantengravitation durch die AdS/CFT-Korrespondenz. Diese Theorien unterliegen starken Einschränkungen, die eine systematische nicht-perturbative Analyse ermöglichen. Konforme Defekte bieten eine kontrollierte Möglichkeit, die Symmetrie zu brechen und neue physikalische Phänomene einzuführen, während wichtige Vorteile der zugrunde liegenden konformen Symmetrie erhalten bleiben. Diese Dissertation untersucht konforme Liniendefekte sowohl im schwachen als auch im starken Kopplungsregimes. Es werden zwei verschiedene Klassen von Modellen untersucht. Wir konzentrieren uns zuerst auf die supersymmetrische Wilson-Linie in N = 4 Super Yang-Mills, die als ideales Testfeld für die Entwicklung innovativer Techniken wie dem analytischen konformen Bootstrap dient. Die zweite Klasse besteht aus magnetische Linien in Yukawa-Modellen, die faszinierende Anwendungen in 3d kondensierten Materiesystemen haben. Diese Systeme haben das Potenzial, Phänomene des Standardmodells in einem Niedrigenergieszenario nachzubilden., Conformal field theory finds applications across diverse fields, from statistical systems at criticality to quantum gravity through the AdS/CFT correspondence. These theories are subject to strong constraints, enabling a systematic non-perturbative analysis. Conformal defects provide a controlled means of breaking the symmetry, introducing new physical phenomena while preserving crucial benefits of the underlying conformal symmetry. This thesis investigates conformal line defects in both the weak- and strong-coupling regimes. Two distinct classes of models are studied. First, we focus on the supersymmetric Wilson line in N = 4 Super Yang–Mills, which serves as an ideal testing ground for the development of innovative techniques such as the analytic conformal bootstrap. The second class consists of magnetic lines in Yukawa models, which have fascinating applications in 3d condensed-matter systems. These systems have the potential to emulate phenomena observed in the Standard Model in a low-energy setting.

The article processing charge was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – 491192747 and the Open Access Publication Fund of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin., Data comparison problems are used in teaching and science education research that focuses on students’ ability to compare datasets and their conceptual understanding of measurement uncertainties. However, the evaluation of students’ decisions in these problems can pose a problem: e.g., students making a correct decision for the wrong reasons. Three previous studies, that share the same context and data comparison problem but where participants had increasing conceptual knowledge of measurement uncertainties, are revisited. The comparison shows a troublesome result: increasing conceptual knowledge does not lead to better decision making in the data comparison problem. In this research, we have looked into this apparent discrepancy by comparing and reanalyzing the data from these three studies. We have analyzed students’ justifications by coding them based on the compared quantity and the deciding criterion, giving a highly detailed insight into what they do when comparing the datasets. The results show clear differences in the quality of the justifications across the studies and by combining the results with the decisions, we could successfully identify four cases of correct and incorrect decisions for right or wrong reasons. This analysis showed a high prevalence of correct decisions for wrong reasons in two of the studies, resolving the discrepancy in the initial comparison of these studies. The implication of our analysis is that simply asking students to make a decision in data comparison problems is not a suitable probe to gauge their ability to compare datasets or their conceptual understanding of measurement uncertainties and a probe like this should always be complemented by an analysis of the justification., Peer Reviewed

Zeitabhängige Multimessenger-Astronomie ist die Studie von vorübergehenden astrophysikalischen Phänomenen mithilfe verschiedener Botschafterteilchen und -wellen. Das High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) ist ein bodengestütztes Teleskop-Array, das Gammastrahlen im Bereich von 30 GeV bis 100 TeV misst. In dieser Arbeit werden drei H.E.S.S.-Programme zur Nachverfolgung von vorübergehenden Phänomenen diskutiert. Zuerst wird das Nova-Programm vorgestellt, zusammen mit der Entdeckung des Ausbruchs von RS Ophiuchi (RS Oph) im Jahr 2021. RS Oph ist eine Nova, welche schon mehrmals ausgebrochen ist. Die Analyse der Nova, zeigt eine klare Detektion über die ersten fünf Nächte sowie eine marginale Detektion bis zu vier Wochen nach dem Ausbruch. RS Oph ist damit das erste galaktische vorübergehende Phänomen, das bei Energien von ~1 TeV detektiert wurde. Eine klare Variabilität des Spektrums wird gezeigt. Eine Diskussion zeigt, dass die beobachteten Gammastrahlen höchstwahrscheinlich durch beschleunigte Protonen innerhalb eines astrophysikalischen Schocks stammt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine zeitaufgelöster Teilchenbeschleunigung. Das zweite Programm ist das Gravitationswellen (GW)-Programm. Hier wird die Analyse von vier beobachteten Verschmelzungsereignissen von binären schwarzen Löchern vorgestellt. Es wird keine Detektion gemeldet, stattdessen werden Himmelskarten mit Höchstgrenzen produziert. Die Effektivität der GW-Nachverfolgung mit H.E.S.S. wird diskutiert. Das dritte Programm ist das Pionierprogramm für Gezeiten-Sternzerrissereignisse (TDEs), das in den letzten Jahren etabliert wurde. Herausforderungen des Programms werden diskutiert, und die H.E.S.S.-Nachverfolgung des Ereignisses AT2019uqv wird vorgestellt. Es werden keine Detektionen gemeldet, stattdessen werden obere Grenzen für AT2019uqv angegeben. Abschließend erfolgt ein Vergleich der Programme sowie ein Ausblick auf das nächste Jahrzehnt bodengestützter Gammastrahlenbeobachtungen., Time-domain multi-messenger astronomy is the study of transient astrophysical phenomena using several messenger particles and waves. The High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) is a ground-based telescope array, which measures very-high-energy gamma rays between 30 GeV and 100 TeV. Within this work, three H.E.S.S. transients follow-up programs and their results are shown. At first, the nova program is shown together with the detection of the 2021 RS Ophiuchi (RS Oph) outburst. RS Oph is a known nova with past eruptions. The analysis of the nova presented in this work shows a clear detection over the first five nights of observations, and a marginal detection two to four weeks after the eruption. RS Oph is thus the first Galactic transient phenomenon detected at ~1 TeV energies. A clear variability of the spectrum is shown. A discussion of the underlying physics concludes, that the observed gamma-ray emission most likely stems from cooled protons accelerated within an astrophysical shock. The results show time-resolved particle acceleration. The second program is the gravitational-waves (GWs) program. Here, the analysis of four observed binary black hole merger events is shown. No detection is reported, and upper limit sky maps are derived instead. The viability of GW follow-up with H.E.S.S. is discussed, and a case is made for a potential counterpart detection. The third program is the tidal disruption event (TDE) program, a pioneered program established at the emergence of the source class within the last few years. Unique challenges of the follow-up program are discussed, and the H.E.S.S. follow-up of the event AT2019uqv is shown. No detection is reported, and upper limits for AT2019uqv are given instead. The interest in follow-up observations of TDEs with gamma-ray instruments is stressed. In conclusion, a comparison of the different programs and their requirements is given, together with an outlook for the next decade of ground-based gamma-ray observations.

In dieser Arbeit untersuchen wir dualitätsinvariante höher-abgeleitete (alpha') Korrekturen an effektiven Stringtheorien mit niedriger Energie. Wir beschränken uns auf den universellen masselosen Sektor, bestehend aus Graviton, B-Feld und Dilaton, und spezialisieren uns auf Hintergründe mit d abelschen Isometrien, die O(d, d)-Invarianz genießen, und schließen Szenarien wie Kosmologie und Schwarze Löcher als Spezialfälle ein. Es wird erwartet, dass die O(d, d)-Symmetrie für beliebige Ableitungsordnungen erhalten bleibt, eine Tatsache, die Hohm und Zwiebach dazu motivierte, die kosmologische Klassifikation zu finden. Eine solche Konstruktion parametrisiert eine große Klasse rein zeitabhängiger dualitätsinvarianter Theorien für alle Ableitungsordnungen in Form einiger Koeffizienten. Stringtheorien stellen einzelne Punkte in diesem Theorieraum dar, die durch bestimmte Konfigurationen dieser Koeffizienten bestimmt werden. Wir berechnen die ersten Koeffizienten mit zwei Methoden: Verdichtungen und Beta-Funktionsberechnungen aus einer kosmologischen Weltenblattaktion. Anschließend untersuchen wir die Hohm-, Siegel- und Zwiebach-Theorie (HSZ) im kosmologischen Hintergrund, die die masselosen Stringmoden und neuartige massive Felder kodiert. Wir integrieren letztere heraus, um eine effektive Theorie für die masselosen Felder zu erhalten und lesen die entsprechenden Koeffizienten ab. Anschließend behalten wir die massiven Felder bei, finden eine zweifach abgeleitete Neuformulierung der Theorie, bestimmen die alpha'-genauen Friedmann-Gleichungen und erforschen die spannungsfreie Grenze. Wir überprüfen die Klassifikation für FRW-Hintergründe und stellen fest, dass alle Korrekturen trivial sind. Wir erweitern die Klassifikation auf zweidimensionale Hintergründe mit zeitähnlicher Isometrie, einem Raum, der Lösungen für schwarze Löcher zulässt. Wir finden alpha'-deformierte Schwarze Löcher mit und ohne Singularitäten. Letztere entsprechen regulären Kosmologien., In this thesis we study duality-invariant higher-derivative (alpha') corrections to string low energy effective theories. We restrict to the universal massless sector, consisting of the graviton, B-field and dilaton, and specialize to backgrounds with d abelian isometries, which enjoy O(d, d)-invariance and contain scenarios such as cosmology and black holes as particular cases. The O(d, d)-symmetry is expected to be preserved to arbitrary orders in derivatives, a fact that motivated Hohm and Zwiebach to arrive at the cosmological classification. Such construction parameterizes a large class of purely-time dependent duality-invariant theories to all orders in derivatives in terms of a countable infinite number of coefficients. String theories represent single points in this theory space, determined by specific configurations of these coefficients. We compute the first coefficients by following two methods: compactifications and beta-function computations from a worldsheet action already in cosmological backgrounds. We then study the Hohm, Siegel, and Zwiebach (HSZ) theory in cosmological backgrounds, which encodes the massless string modes plus novel massive fields. We integrate out the latter to arrive at an effective theory for the massless fields and read the corresponding coefficients. We then keep the massive fields, find a two-derivative reformulation of the theory, determine alpha'-exact Friedmann equations and explore the tensionless limit. Coming back to generic duality-invariant theories, we revisit the classification for FRW backgrounds and find that all corrections are trivial. We extend the classification to two-dimensional backgrounds with time-like isometry, a space that admits black-hole solutions. We prove that the dual of a solution with a regular horizon must have a curvature singularity, and find alpha'-deformed black holes with and without singularities. The latter correspond to regular cosmologies.

Die Erforschung von Gravitationswellen hat unsere Sicht auf das Universum revolutioniert. Mit dem bevorstehenden Start von LISA, einem Weltraum-Gravitationswellendetektor, und neuen Berichten über Hinweise auf einen Gravitationswellenhintergrund im Nanohertz-Bereich aus Pulsar Timing Array (PTA)-Experimenten, eröffnen sich neue Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen. Diese Dissertation entwickelt innovative Datenanalysetechniken und Wellenformmodelle, um Erkenntnisse aus diesen Beobachtungen zu gewinnen. Ein Schwerpunkt liegt auf der Untersuchung von Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals (EMRIs) durch LISA. Diese Quellen bestehen aus kleinen, kompakten Objekten, die sich um ein zentrales Schwarzes Loch bewegen. Die Wellenformen von EMRIs bieten die Möglichkeit präziser Parametermessungen, sind jedoch aufgrund ihrer langen Signaldauer und harmonischen Komplexität schwer zu berechnen. Wir präsentieren die Implementierung einsatzbereiter EMRI-Wellenformen im Frequenzbereich für Grafikprozessoren (GPUs) und zentrale Recheneinheiten (CPUs). Zudem untersuchen wir das wissenschaftliche Potenzial von EMRIs innerhalb von Akkretionsscheiben, erforschen den Einfluss von Umwelteffekten mittels bayesianischer Methoden und bewerten die Multimessenger-Aussichten dieser Systeme. Im PTA-Bereich entwickeln wir Methoden zur Optimierung der Datenkombinationen für PTA-Analysen und tragen zum European Pulsar Timing Array bei, indem wir alternative Sampling-Pipelines für die Analyse von Gravitationswellenhintergründen und individuellen Quellen implementieren. Mit transdimensionalen Sampling-Methoden suchen wir nach einzelnen supermassiven Schwarzen Löchern und bewerten deren Signifikanz. Diese Dissertation trägt zur Weiterentwicklung der Gravitationswellenastronomie bei, indem sie neue Methoden und Modelle entwickelt, die tiefere Einblicke in die kosmischen Phänomene ermöglichen, die von LISA- und PTA-Beobachtungen erfasst werden., Gravitational wave astronomy has reshaped our understanding of the cosmos. As we look towards the future launch of LISA, a space-based gravitational wave detector, and analyze recent evidence of a nanohertz gravitational wave background from Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) experiments, new opportunities and challenges emerge. This thesis delves into developing novel data analysis techniques and waveform models to extract information from these observations. Focusing on LISA, we delve into Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals (EMRIs). These sources consist of small compact objects spiralling into massive black holes at the centres of galaxies. Their observations are expected to provide precise parameter measurements for these systems. However, EMRI waveform generation poses challenges due to the long signal duration and large harmonic content. For the first time, we provide a fast implementation of EMRI waveforms in the frequency domain, suitable for both graphics processing units (GPUs) and central processing units (CPUs). In addition, we explore the scientific potential of EMRIs embedded in accretion disks. Employing Bayesian inference, we investigate the measurability of environmental effects and explore these systems' multimessenger prospects. Transitioning to PTA, we develop methods to optimize data combinations for PTA analyses. We present our contributions to the second data release of the European Pulsar Timing Array collaboration, which consists of implementing alternative sampling pipelines for gravitational wave background and individual source analyses. Using trans-dimensional sampling methods, we search for individual supermassive black hole binaries and assess their significance. The burgeoning field of gravitational wave astronomy has the potential to transform our understanding of the Universe. The work in this thesis develops new approaches that will facilitate the delivery of the best possible scientific results from current and future gravitational wave observat

During the past few decades, abundant evidence for physics beyond the two standard models of particle physics and cosmology was found. Yet, we are tapping in the dark regarding our understanding of the dark sector. For more than a century, open problems related to the nature of the vacuum remained unresolved. As well as the traditional high-energy frontier and cosmology, technological advancement provides complementary access to new physics via high-precision experiments. Among the latter, the Casimir And Non-Newtonian force EXperiment (Cannex) has successfully completed its proof-of-principle phase and is going to commence operation soon. Benefiting from its plane parallel plate geometry, both interfacial and gravity-like forces are maximized, leading to increased sensitivity. A wide range of dark sector forces, Casimir forces in and out of thermal equilibrium, and gravity can be tested. This paper describes the final experimental design, its sensitivity, and expected results., This research was funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) under grant No. P 36577-N and P 34240-N., Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Peer Reviewed

Die Ladungsinjektion (-extraktion) an einer Schnittstelle spielt in der organischen Elektronik eine entscheidende Rolle, da sie die Leistung des Bauelements stark beeinflusst. Eine der effizientesten Methoden zur Optimierung der Energiebarrieren für die Injektion ist die Modifikation der Austrittsarbeit der Elektroden. In dieser Dissertation untersuchen wir die Modifikation der Austrittsarbeit von Au(111) durch dithiol-terminiertes Polyethylenglykol (PEG(thiol)) sowie deren Abhängigkeit von der Anzahl der PEG-Wiederholungseinheiten. In beiden Fällen beobachten wir, dass die Austrittsarbeit des Au(111) durch eine Monoschicht PEG(thiol)-Moleküle reduziert wird. Unsere Berechnungen zeigen, dass diese Änderung der Austrittsarbeit hauptsächlich durch (i) die Ladungsumlagerung aufgrund der Chemisorption und (ii) das intrinsische Dipolmoment der PEG(thiol)-Monoschicht verursacht wird. Die Größe des letzteren Beitrags hängt spürbar von der Anzahl der Wiederholungseinheiten ab und bewirkt somit eine Variation in der Reduktion der Austrittsarbeit. Das oszillatorische Verhalten spiegelt einen ausgeprägten Odd-Even-Effekt wider. Dadurch kann die Austrittsarbeit der Metallelektrode unter Berücksichtigung des Odd-Even-Effekts gesteuert werden. Die Konvergenz der selbstkonsistenten Felditeration für unsere Systeme ist nicht garantiert. Um die Konvergenz zu verbessern, schlagen wir die Verwendung eines speziell auf die FP-LAPW-Methode zugeschnittenen Mischalgorithmus vor. In einem auf Ag(111) basierenden System zeigt sich, dass eine Struktur mit drei Leerstellen in der Substratschicht besonders stabil ist. Dabei ist eine kontinuierliche Abnahme der Austrittsarbeit des Ag(111) feststellbar. Ähnlich wie beim Au(111) manifestiert sich der Odd-Even-Effekt, der auf das Dipolmoment der Molekularschicht zurückzuführen ist., Charge injection (extraction) at an interface plays a crucial role to organic electronics because this injection (extraction) heavily affects the device performance. One of the most efficient way to optimize energy barriers of the injection (extraction) is modifying the work function of electrodes. In this dissertation, we investigate the modification of work function of Au(111) and Ag(111) induced by the dithiol-terminated polyethylene glycol (PEG(thiol)) as well as a dependence of the work function change on different numbers of PEG repeat units. We find that the work function of the Au(111) is reduced by a monolayer of PEG(thiol) molecules. Overall, our calculations indicate that the work function change is mainly induced by (i) the charge rearrangement due to chemisorption and (ii) the intrinsic dipole moment of the PEG(thiol) monolayer. The magnitude of the latter contribution noticeably depends on the number of repeat units and, thus, causes a variation in the reduction of the work function. The oscillatory behavior reflects a pronounced odd-even effect. As a result, the work function of the metal electrode would be controlled by considering the odd-even effect. Unfortunately, the convergence of the self-consistent field iteration is not guaranteed for our investigated systems. To make the smooth convergence, a mixing algorithm, which is applicable to FP-LAPW method, is devised. We add the Kerker preconditioner as well as further improvements to Pulay’s direct inversion in the iterative subspace. Using this method, one can avoid charge sloshing and noise in the exchange-correlation potential. This method is also implemented in the exciting code. We find the decrease of the work function of the Ag(111) surface is always presented. Similar to the Au(111) case, the odd-even effect is revealed, arising from the dipole moment of the molecular layer.

The article processing charge was funded by the Open Access Publication Fund of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin., Missing transverse momentum is a crucial observable for physics at hadron colliders, being the only constraint on the kinematics of “invisible” objects such as neutrinos and hypothetical dark matter particles. Computing missing transverse momentum at the highest possible precision, particularly in experiments at the energy frontier, can be a challenging procedure due to ambiguities in the distribution of energy and momentum between many reconstructed particle candidates. This paper describes a novel solution for efficiently encoding information required for the computation of missing transverse momentum given arbitrary selection criteria for the constituent reconstructed objects. Pileup suppression using information from both the calorimeter and the inner detector is an integral component of the reconstruction procedure. Energy calibration and systematic variations are naturally supported. Following this strategy, the ATLAS Collaboration has been able to optimise the use of missing transverse momentum in diverse analyses throughout Runs 2 and 3 of the Large Hadron Collider and for future analyses., Peer Reviewed

Topological Insulator (TI) nanowires have attracted attention in recent years, not only because of the novel physics that are to be discovered in such systems, but also because they are a possible platform to realize Majorana fermions and topological quantum computation. In this thesis, electronic transport in TI nanowires is investigated. Bulk-insulating nanowires are grown by the vapor-liquid-solid method from the ternary topological insulators (Bi_{1-x}Sb_x)_2Te_3 ("BST") and Bi_2(Te_xSe_{1-x})_3 ("BTS"). At cryogenic temperatures, the particular properties of their quantum-confined topological surface states are studied through electrostatic gating, which gives rise to characteristic restiance oscillations originating from their quantized sub-band structure. In magnetic fields, Aharonov-Bohm-like oscillations are measured, and their peculiar pi-shift is observed. Furthermore, superconductivity is induced by the proximity effect from Nb and V (in the structure TiVTiAl) in nanowire Josesephson junction devices. The proximitization is characterized and interplay with the topological surface states is investigated. First attempts at tunneling spectroscopy on the proximitized TI nanowires are made.

In this doctoral thesis, new experimental findings on the nuclear structure of 130Cd and simulations for the HISPEC slowed down beam (SDB) campaign are presented. In this work 131In and 130Cd are investigated in an inflight-decay spectroscopy experiment performed at the RIKEN RIBF facility. 131In and 130Cd were produced in fragmentation fission reactions and proton knockout reactions with 9Be targets and were identified in the BigRIPS and ZeroDegee spectrometers. The excitation energies and half-lives of excited nuclear states populated in proton knockout reactions were inferred from the energies of gamma-rays emitted in their decays. This was achieved by comparing the energies of gamma-rays detected in the HiCARI array to Monte-carlo simulations. Two new gamma-decays were observed in 130Cd which were attributed to two previously unobserved excited states. These results were interpreted in the context of a nuclear shell model calculation which was shown to successfully describe the structure of 130Cd including the newly observed states. Simulations of the HISPEC SDB campaign, proposed to study the nuclear structure of rare-isotope beams produced in the SuperFRS at FAIR with AGATA, were produced. The transport of 64Ni through the SuperFRS and its slowing from 233 MeV/u to the Coulomb barrier in a 27Al degrader was simulated using the MOCADI ion-transport code. The kinematic reconstruction and identification of ions after the degrader was simulated in a Geant4 simulation of the proposed SDB setup. The performance, positioning and geometry of SDB detectors, required for the identification of ions and the reconstruction of the energies of gamma-rays emitted in the gamma-decay of ions excited in Coulomb excitations with a thin 197Au target, was evaluated. SDB experiments with the proposed setup were found to be feasible under the conditions identified as required of SDB detectors for experiments lasting five days with at least 10^4 p/s available 64Ni beam intensity.

In der Teilchenphysik existieren für zentrale Begriffe oftmals Synonyme. Beispielsweise wird für Botenteilchen auch die Bezeichnung Austauschteilchen oder Eichboson genutzt. Im Englischen finden sich analog force carrier, messenger particles oder gauge bosons. Es fehlt bisher an Übersichten über die Nutzung einzelner Termini, wie diese Begriffe im Deutschen und Englischem verwendet werden sowie welche Begründungen und Verstehenskontexte eine Rolle spielen. Aus linguistischer Perspektive zählt nicht nur der einzelne Begriff, sondern insbesondere der Frame (= konzeptuelle Wissenseinheit) der damit evoziert wird. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war es, eine qualitative Inhaltsanalyse bezüglich der Fragestellung, wie vier zentrale Begriffe (Austausch, Wechselwirkung, Umwandlung, Stoß) in der Teilchenphysik genutzt werden, zu erarbeiten. Das Forschungsdesgin orientiert sich dabei an Methoden der qualitativen Forschung. Die Datenerhebung erfolgt auf zwei Wegen: Zum einen über eine computergestützte Dokumentenanalyse ausgewählter Fachbücher der Teilchenphysik in deutscher und englischer Sprache; zum anderen mit leitfadengestützten Expert:inneninterviews, welche am Rande der 26. IPPOG-Tagung 2023 am CERN durchgeführt wurden.

This thesis investigates the mechanically controlled break junctions, with a particular emphasis on elucidating the behaviour of molecular currents at room temperature. The core of this experimental investigation involves a detailed analysis of conductance, examining how it varies over time and with changes in the gap between electrodes. Additionally, this study thoroughly evaluates transmission properties, coupling effects, and current characteristics. A pivotal aspect of the research was the meticulous current measurement, followed by carefully selecting optimal data sets. This process set the stage for an in-depth analysis of resonant tunnelling phenomena observed through a single channel. Notably, these experiments were conducted under open atmospheric conditions at room temperature. A significant finding from this study is the recognition that our current model requires refinement. This adjustment is necessary to more accurately encapsulate a broader spectrum of molecular transport mechanisms. Furthermore, this work significantly advances our comprehension of quantum effects in single-molecule junctions, particularly concerning similar molecules to Corannulene extending to some organometallics. One of the essential disclosures is the identification of deviations in the transport model, primarily attributable to electron-electron interactions. This insight is crucial as it paves the way for developing a more comprehensive and precise model, enhancing our understanding of molecular-scale electronic transport.:List of Figures xi List of Tables xiii Acronyms xiii Terminology xv Symbols xvi Abstract xvii 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Motivation and Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.2 Molecular Electronics Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1.3 RelatedWork, the State of Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1.4 Structure of the work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

In der Dissertation werden Aspekte zukünftiger Mobilität mit Methoden aus der theoretischen Physik und der Wissenschaft komplexer Systeme. Dazu werden mathematische Modelle und Simulationen entwickelt, die zentrale Aspekte der Dynamik von Mobilitätssystemen abbilden. Ziel ist es, den Einfluss spezifischer Parameter auf die gesamte systemische Dynamik zu verstehen und vorherzusagen, sowie nichtlineare, kollektive Effekte aufzudecken.

Random matrix theory (RMT) is a mathematical framework that has found profound applications in physics, particularly in the study of many-body systems. Its success lies in its ability to predict universal statistical properties of complex systems, independent of the specific details. This thesis explores the application of RMT to two classes of many-body systems: quantum and stochastic many-body systems. Within the quantum framework, this work focuses on the Bose-Hubbard system, which is paradigmatic for modeling ultracold atoms in optical traps. According to RMT and the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis (ETH), eigenstate-to-eigenstate fluctuations of expectation values of local observables decay rapidly with the system size in the thermodynamic limit at sufficiently large temperatures. Here, we study these fluctuations in the classical limit of fixed lattice size and increasing boson number. We find that the fluctuations follow the RMT prediction for large system sizes but deviate substantially for small lattices. Partly motivated by these results, the Bose-Hubbard model on three sites is studied in more detail. On few sites, the Bose-Hubbard model is known to be a mixed system, being neither fully chaotic nor integrable. We compare energy-resolved classical and quantum measures of chaos, which show a strong agreement. Deviations from RMT predictions are attributed to the mixed nature of the few-site model. In the context of stochastic systems, generators of Markov processes are studied. The focus is on the spectrum. We present results from two investigations of Markov spectra. First, we investigate the effect of sparsity on the spectrum of random generators. Dense random matrices previously used as a model for generic generators led to very large spectral gaps and therefore to unphysically short relaxation times. In this work, a model of random generators with adjustable sparsity — number of zero matrix elements — is presented, extending the dense framework. It

Organic electronics are at the forefront of modern optoelectronic technologies. Their photophysical properties are determined not only by the organic molecules chosen, but also by their intermolecular interactions in an aggregated phase. These interactions have multiple fingerprints on ultrafast timescales, which can lead to deeper understanding of these materials and higher performance devices. The scope of this work covers the ultrafast and steady-state photophysical and excitonic properties of aggregates and blends based on the squaraine molecules nBSQ and ProSQ-C16, targeted for photodetection, photovoltaic and chiroptical applications. In detail, we utilized ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy and steady-state absorption and emission spectroscopy, employing both experimental and simulation approaches. The use of a white light supercontinuum probe in transient absorption enabled us not only to study the lifetime of excitons, but also reveal their physical nature. Complementary to the experimentally obtained spectra, lightweight simulations of both steady-state and ultrafast transient spectra were employed. This approach unfolded the underlying large-scale aggregate structure, revealing the structure-property relationships in squaraine-based molecular aggregates.

For non-sexually reproducing organisms such as bacteria, natural transformation, a common mode of horizontal gene transfer (HGT), plays an important role in increasing genetic diversity, spreading beneficial mutations and curing deleterious ones. However, little is known about the genome-wide barriers, the effects of transformation on fitness and the role of the genetic background of the strains. In the first project, we elucidate the genome-wide barriers of transformation and their dependence on the genetic distance between donor and recipient. We conduct replacement accumulation experiments with Bacillus subtilis as recipient and different Bacillus species as well as a Geobacillus species as donors. For 20 cycles, we allow the recipient to transform for two hours in presence of donor DNA, ensure minimal selection by plating the hybrids directly after transformation, and apply a single cell bottleneck by selecting a monoclonal hybrid for the start of the next cycle. Following cycle 10 and 20, the DNA of the hybrids is sent for whole genome sequencing and the fitness is measured by competition experiments. By pooling all hybrids, we find 96% of core genes affected by replacements when supplying B. subtilis with Bacillus spizizenii DNA, indicating an almost unrestricted exchange between closely related species. In the less-related species Bacillus atrophaeus, we find replacement primarily in regions with high sequence identity, with an overrepresentation of ribosomal genes. A comparison of all donor-recipient pairs reveals an exponential relationship between core genome identity and transfer rate. Core genome identity also affects the length of replaced segments. At a low rate, the replacements entail insertions and deletions of accessory regions. We conclude that transformation between closely related species is strongly dependent on sequence identity and is dominated by replacements. In the second project, we characterize the fitness effects of transformation. To t

This thesis focuses on the development of superconducting planar components for the CCAT Heterodyne Array instrument (CHAI). Planned to operate in two bands simultaneously, CHAI will feature two independent 64-pixel arrays covering 455 - 495 GHz (Low Frequency Array) and 780 - 820 GHz (High Frequency Array). The basic unit composing the arrays are 4-pixel waveguide blocks, fabricated in split block technology and designed to house four planar mixers fabricated on silicon substrates, which are suspended inside waveguide cavities. Each 4-pixel block also contains the local oscillator distribution network. The two topics of this thesis are the development of a power divider based on superconducting planar chip technology to perform the 1-to-4 power division for the LFA and the design of an integrated balanced mixer for the HFA. For the power division, a total of five different power dividers were designed in planar technology and fabricated in the I. Physikalisches Institut (Ph.I) microstructure fabrication laboratory. The individual components of the balanced mixers for the HFA have been designed and simulated, but could not be manufactured yet due to time constraints. Due to the impossibility of Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) measurement to characterise the power dividers fabricated in this work, the SIS junctions found in the Integrated BAlanced Mixer (IBAMI), the mixer of choice for the LFA, are used as power detectors. The experimental setup is then composed of two IBAMI connected by waveguides to the power divider’s outputs. This configuration has the advantage that it represents half of the 4-pixel block for CHAI, allowing for testing the components meant to populate the LFA in a simpler setup. This setup allows only for power division measurements with no possibility for direct measurement of the reflections at the waveguide ports of the power divider. Four units of the 2-pixel test block were fabricated in the mechanical workshop of the I. Physikalisches Instit

The Kitaev Quantum Spin Liquid (QSL) is a theoretical phase of matter proposed by physicist Alexei Kitaev in 2006. It is characterized by the absence of conventional long-range magnetic order in the magnetic moments of electrons, even at absolute zero temperature, distinguishing it from traditional magnetic systems. This QSL phase arises from anisotropic, direction-dependent spin interactions among spin-1/2 electrons on a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice. alpha-RuCl3 has emerged as a promising candidate for the observation of the QSL phase due to its direction-dependent exchange interactions. However, the presence of isotropic Heisenberg exchange interactions results in a zigzag antiferromagnetic order below 7 K, with additional complexity introduced by anisotropic off-diagonal interactions. Despite these challenges, numerous studies suggest that a QSL phase might be stabilized in the field-induced phase of the material. In this study, we employ Raman scattering to investigate alpha-RuCl3. We begin with angle-resolved Raman scattering to verify the crystal symmetry. Subsequently, we explore the field-induced phase, observing a transition in the Raman response from a featureless, gapless broad continuum and weak antiferromagnetic magnons in the magnetically ordered phase to sharp magnetic excitations and a gapped continuum in the disordered phase. Additionally, helicity-resolved Raman scattering with in-plane magnetic fields reveals the chiral nature of magnetic and phononic excitations. This technique identifies a distinct field regime between 7.5 and 10.5 T, correlating with the proposed stabilization of the QSL phase. Our study underscores the significance of the field-induced phase, providing insights into complex interactions such as chirality-selective hybridization between the continuum and phonons, and a particular non-reciprocal hybridized feature arising from phonon-magnon interaction.

During antigenic evolution, a virus alters its presentation to the immune system, reducing the ability of the immune system to recognize and protect against the virus. Those viruses that most successfully escape from immune protection are selected for in the evolutionary process. These viruses are most likely to predominate in the future viral population. The selection pressures that shape this evolution are computable from models that use molecular input data on the interaction between the virus and the immune system. Given these selection pressures, future evolutionary trajectories of viruses can be predicted. These predictions help the timely identification of emerging variants and inform the most protective antigenic composition of vaccinations. Alternatively, given frequency trajectories of viral evolution, key parameters can be learned that describe the molecular interaction between the virus and the immune system. These parameters describe the effects of immune therapy while considering the evolutionary response of the virus explicitly. In this thesis, I discuss the antigenic evolution of three fast-evolving viruses. First, I analyze the in vivo antigenic escape evolution of HIV-1 from a broadly neutralizing antibody. In this analysis, I use data from clinical trials to infer key fitness parameters that determine escape evolution across multiple hosts. Second, I present an antigenic model to predict the evolutionary trajectories of SARS-CoV-2. The model is the first to use human antigenic data to predict viral evolution. In this work, I combine genetic, epidemiological, and antigenic data to model the population immunity that determines viral fitness. The fitness model can predict the short-term evolution of SARS-CoV-2, as well as predict the antigenic profile of future escape variants. Finally, I present a set of methods for the evolutionary analysis of influenza. It contains methods on evolutionary tracking, inference of selection, inference and tracking of

Low-level mixed-phase clouds (LLMPCs) shroud large portions of Earth’s surface at high latitudes. They have been shown to dramatically affect the surface energy budget, yet, large uncertainties in their model representation remain, both in climate simulations, and in numerical weather prediction. Both computational limitations and poor understanding of a number of processes taking place in LLMPCs are thought to give rise to such uncertainties. In particular, precipitation formation processes have been relatively understudied in LLMPCs, and reaching a refined understanding is expected to lead to an improvement in model performance, as precipitation determines the cloud’s mass sink, and hence lifetime. In this dissertation, precipitation formation processes are investigated in LLMPCs at the high Arctic site of Ny-Ålesund, based on long-term cloud radar observations. Cloud radars are in fact especially suited for ice microphysical studies, due to the wide spectrum of observational fingerprints of ice microphysical processes that they provide. Doppler radar observations provide information on dynamics, multi-frequency radar observations on ice particle size, and polarimetric radar observations on particle shape and concentration. Radar data are combined with thermodynamic information, which further allows to discriminate between ice microphysical processes, due to their high sensitivity to temperature. In the first part of the dissertation, the relevance of the aggregation process for LLMPCs at Ny-Ålesund is assessed. Aggregation occurs when ice particles collide to form larger ice particles. A long-term dataset of dual-frequency radar observations, as well as thermodynamic information, is used to statistically assess the relevance of aggregation and its sensitivity to varying cloud thermodynamic conditions. The study finds that larger aggregate snowflakes are predominantly produced in LLMPCs whose mixed-phase layer is at temperatures compatible with the growth and subs

Pipeline transport is an efficient method for transporting fluids in energy supply and other technical applications. While natural gas is the classical example, the transport of hydrogen is becoming more and more important; both are transmitted under high pressure in a gaseous state. Also relevant is the transport of carbon dioxide, captured in the places of formation, transferred under high pressure in a liquid or supercritical state and pumped into underground reservoirs for storage. The transport of other fluids is also required in technical applications. Meanwhile, the transport equations for different fluids are essentially the same, and the simulation can be performed using the same methods. In this paper, the effect of control elements such as compressors, regulators and flaptraps on the stability of fluid transport simulations is studied. It is shown that modeling of these elements can lead to instabilities, both in stationary and dynamic simulations. Special regularization methods were developed to overcome these problems. Their functionality also for dynamic simulations is demonstrated for a number of numerical experiments.

Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist, die elektronischen Eigenschaften von CZTS zu verstehen. Ein leistungsfahigesWerkzeug zu diesem Zweck ist die Rontgen-Nahkanten Absorptions-Spektroskopie (XANES). Die Interpretation von XANES-Spektren komplexer Materialien ist nicht trivial und erfordert daher theoretische Modellierung. Alle Rechnungen in dieser Arbeit wurden mittels der im exciting Code implementierten Linearized-Augmented-Plane- Wave-Methode, welche alle Elektronen gleichberechtigt behandelt, durchgefuhrt. Die genaue Beschreibung der Anregungen von Kernzustanden wird durch ein zweistufiges Verfahren erreicht. Zunachst wird die elektronische Struktur berechnet, indem die Kohn-Sham-Gleichungen (KS) der Dichtefunktionaltheorie (DFT) gelost werden. Die Absorptionsspektren unter Berucksichtigung der Elektron-Loch-Wechselwirkung (e-h) werden durch die Losung der Bethe-Salpeter Gleichung (BSE) der Vielteilchen-Storungstheorie (MBPT) unter Einsatz der KS-Zustonde als Ausgangspunkt beschrieben., The aim of this work is to understand the electronic properties of CZTS. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) is a powerful tool for this purpose. Interpreting XANES of complex materials is nontrivial and thus requires theoretical modeling. Here, all the calculations are performed using an all-electron full-potential augmented plane-wave method as implemented in the exciting code. The accurate description of the core level excitations is performed by a two-step procedure. First, the electronic structure is calculated by solving the Kohn-Sham (KS) equation of density functional theory (DFT). The absorption spectra including electron-hole (e-h) is described by the solution of the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) of many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) using the KS states as starting point.

Neutrinooszillationen sind das einzige Phänomen jenseits des Standardmodells, das experimentell mit hoher statistischer Signifikanz bestätigt wurde. Diese Arbeit präsentiert eine Messung der atmosphärischen Neutrinooszillationen unter Verwendung von acht Jahren an Daten, die zwischen 2011 und 2019 vom IceCube DeepCore-Detektor aufgenommen wurden. Die Ereignisauswahl wurde im Vergleich zu früheren DeepCore-Messungen verbessert, wobei ein besonderes Augenmerk auf ihre Robustheit gegenüber systematischen Unsicherheiten in den Detektoreigenschaften gelegt wurde. Die Oszillationsparameter werden über eine Maximum-Likelihood-Fit an gebinnte Daten in der gemessenen Energie und Zenitwinkel geschätzt, wobei die Erwartungswerte aus gewichteten simulierten Ereignissen abgeleitet werdem. Diese Arbeit diskutiert den Simulations- und Datenauswahlprozess sowie die statistischen Methoden, die verwendet werden, um einen genauen Erwartungswert unter variablen Detektoreigenschaften und anderen systematischen Unsicherheiten zu liefern. Die Messung wird zunächst unter Verwendung des Standardmodells der Drei-Flavor-Oszillation durchgeführt, wobei das atmosphärische Massensplitting und der Mischwinkel auf $\Delta m^2_{32} = 2.42_{-0.75}^{+0.77} \times10^{-3};\mathrm{eV}^2$ und $\sin^2\theta_{23} = 0.507_{-0.053}^{+0.050}$ geschätzt werden. Das Drei-Flavor-Modell wird dann um einen zusätzlichen Masseneigenzustand erweitert, der einem sterilen Neutrino mit Massensplitting $\Delta m^2_{41} = 1;\mathrm{eV}^2$ entspricht und mit den aktiven $\nu_\mu$- und $\nu_\tau$-Flavorzuständen mischen kann. Es wird kein signifikantes Signal eines sterilen Neutrinos beobachtet, und die Mischungsamplituden zwischen den sterilen und aktiven Zuständen werden auf $|U_{\mu 4}|^2 < 0.0534$ und $|U_{\tau 4}|^2 < 0.0574$ bei 90\% C.L. begrenzt. Diese Grenzwerte sind um den Faktor zwei bis drei strenger als das vorherige DeepCore-Ergebnis, und die Einschränkung von $|U_{\tau 4}|^2$ ist die stärkste der Welt., Neutrino oscillations are the only phenomenon beyond the Standard Model that has been confirmed experimentally to a very high statistical significance. This work presents a measurement of atmospheric neutrino oscillations using eight years of data taken by the IceCube DeepCore detector between 2011 and 2019. The event selection has been improved over that used in previous DeepCore measurements with a particular emphasis on its robustness with respect to systematic uncertainties in the detector properties. The oscillation parameters are estimated via a maximum likelihood fit to binned data in the observed energy and zenith angle, where the expectation is derived from weighted simulated events. This work discusses the simulation and data selection process, as well as the statistical methods employed to give an accurate expectation value under variable detector properties and other systematic uncertainties. The measurement is first performed first under the standard three-flavor oscillation model, where the atmospheric mass splitting and mixing angle are estimated to be $\Delta m^2_{32} = 2.42_{-0.75}^{+0.77} \times10^{-3}\;\mathrm{eV}^2$ and $\sin^2\theta_{23} = 0.507_{-0.053}^{+0.050}$, respectively. The three-flavor model is then extended by an additional mass eigenstate corresponding to a sterile neutrino with mass splitting $\Delta m^2_{41} = 1\;\mathrm{eV}^2$ that can mix with the active $\nu_\mu$ and $\nu_\tau$ flavor states. No significant signal of a sterile neutrino is observed and the mixing amplitudes between the sterile and active states are constrained to $|U_{\mu 4}|^2 < 0.0534$ and $|U_{\tau 4}|^2 < 0.0574$ at 90\% C.L. These limits are more stringent than the previous DeepCore result by a factor between two and three and the constraint on $|U_{\tau 4}|^2$ is the strongest in the world.

Der steigende weltweite Energiebedarf treibt die Entwicklung sauberer Energiequellen voran, die dazu beitragen werden, den Verbrauch fossiler Brennstoffe zu reduzieren. Brennstoffzellen und Metall-Luft-Batterien sind vielversprechende Alternativen, um traditionelle fossile Energie zu ersetzen und durch die Reduzierung von O2 an der Kathode grünen Strom zu erzeugen. Aufgrund der langsamen Reaktionsraten der Sauerstoffreduktionsreaktion (ORR) ist hierfür jedoch elektrokatalytisches Material mit geringen Kosten und hoher Effizienz erforderlich. In den letzten Jahrzehnten wurde eine Vielzahl von Materialien als Nicht-Pt-Katalysatoren getestet, von metallfreien Katalysatoren bis hin zu Katalysatoren auf Übergangsmetallbasis. Aufgrund des mangelnden Verständnisses des Reaktionsmechanismus und der Wechselwirkung zwischen Elektrolyt und Elektrokatalysator befinden sich neue Designs stickstoffhaltiger Katalysatoren auf Kohlenstoffbasis jedoch noch in der Entwicklungsphase. Zu diesem Zweck wurden verschiedene (in situ) spektroskopische und elektrochemische Techniken eingesetzt, um die Wechselwirkung zwischen N-dotiertem Kohlenstoff und Elektrolyten sowie die katalytischen Mechanismen zu verstehen. Darüber hinaus weisen die neu entwickelten Katalysatoren für die ORR eine überlegene elektrokatalytische Leistung auf, die in dieser Dissertation ausführlich diskutiert wird. Die Struktur-Leistungs-Beziehung unserer ORR-N-dotierten Kohlenstoffkatalysatoren wurde gründlich untersucht. Diese Forschung zeigt, wie die Kombination fortschrittlicher Spektroskopietechniken, einschließlich In-situ-Spektroskopie und elektrochemischer Charakterisierung, ein tieferes Verständnis der Katalysator-/Elektrolyt-Wechselwirkung, des katalytischen Mechanismus und der optimierten elektrokatalytischen Leistung stickstoffhaltiger Kohlenstoffmaterialien, ORR-Katalysatoren, insbesondere nanoporöser N-dotierter Kohlenstoff, fördern kann Eisen-Stickstoff-codotierte Kohlenstoffmaterialien., Increasing global energy demand drives the development of clean energy sources that will help reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. Fuel cells and metal-air batteries are promising alternatives to replace traditional fossil energy to generate green electricity by reducing O2 at the cathode. However, due to sluggish reaction rates of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), this requires electrocatalytic material with low cost and high efficiency. Over the last few decades, a variety of materials have been tested as non-Pt catalysts, from metal-free catalysts to transition metal-based catalysts. However, due to the lack of understanding of the reaction mechanism and the interaction between electrolyte and electrocatalysts, new designs nitrogen-containing carbon-based catalysts are still under the development stage. To this aim, a variety of (in situ) spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques to understand N-doped carbon electrocatalysts/electrolyte interaction and catalytic mechanisms have been employed. Moreover, the newly-designed catalysts for ORR demonstrate superior electrocatalytic performance which are discussed in detail in this dissertation. The structure-performance relationship for our ORR N-doped carbon catalysts has been thoroughly investigated. This research highlights how the combination of advanced spectroscopy techniques including in situ spectroscopy and electrochemical characterization may promote a deeper understanding of catalyst/electrolyte interaction, catalytic mechanism and optimized electrocatalytic performance of nitrogen-containing carbon materials ORR catalysts, especially nanoporous N-doped carbon and iron-nitrogen-co-doped carbon materials.

Since their discovery many decades ago, relativistic jets have intrigued and fascinated astronomers. Besides being crucial elements in shaping the Universe as we observe it today, jets are unique laboratories to test and broaden our knowledge in many fields of physics, such as plasma physics and cosmology. This thesis aims at investigating the relativistic jets launched from radio galaxies, a specific class of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), with the goal of understanding the jet formation and propagation phenomena, as well as the connection between accretion and ejection. Specifically, the work focuses on NGC 315, a giant radio galaxy whose vicinity and large mass of the central black hole offer a unique opportunity to address these subjects. The study combines two approaches: the analysis of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations is accompanied by a theoretical study carried out by means of numerical simulations. These are performed using a relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) code. The thesis is composed of three introductory chapters followed by three results chapters. In Chapter 1, I introduce the fundamental physical and astronomical concepts concerning AGN, which are central throughout the thesis. In Chapter 2, I describe the basic elements of plasma physics and provide an overview of the state-of-the-art knowledge regarding the theory of jet formation and propagation together with the currently open questions. In Chapter 3, I explain the fundamental concepts concerning the VLBI technique, and how to perform the analysis of VLBI data. Finally, Chapters 4, 5, and 6 present the series of works on NGC 315, with Chapters 4 and 6 focusing on the observational studies and Chapter 5 describing the theoretical one. From the analysis of a multi-frequency and multi-epoch VLBI data set, the extents of the jet collimation and acceleration regions in NGC 315 are suggested to coincide. Namely, the jet is observed to collimate within ~ 0.6 pc from its apex

For decades, physicists have been fascinated by frustrated magnetism. Frustration arises when the pairwise interaction energies between localized magnetic moments in a system cannot be minimized simultaneously. This competition prevents the formation of long range magnetic order even at lowest temperatures and, eventually, leads to the hallmark of frustration in the form of a massive ground state degeneracy accompanied by a finite zero-point entropy. Thus, exotic magnetic analogs of ordinary fluids can be realized, where spins are highly correlated but remain strongly fluctuating. Such spin liquids are linked to remarkable unconventional collective phenomena, most notably emergent gauge fields and fractionalized quasi-particle excitations that can be conceived as magnetic monopoles. In this thesis, we study the dynamics of such quasi-monopoles in the presence of a magnetic field and address the question whether critical fluctuations at a phase transition always slow down equilibration or, conversely, can also help the system to thermalize. Employing large-scale dynamical Monte Carlo simulations, we show that the latter---a critical speeding up---can indeed be observed in two prototypical classical spin systems: dipolar spin ice in pyrochlore magnets and a Coulomb spin liquid in the triangular lattice Ising antiferromagnet. For the former, we also establish a relationship between Monte Carlo time and real time by comparing numerical and experimental data. Another part of this thesis is concerned with systems in which further-neighbor interactions stabilize certain non-coplanar magnetic orders. Such orders are particularly interesting because upon introducing quantum fluctuations, they may possibly melt into a chiral quantum spin liquid. To this end, we study two model systems that turn out to have non-coplanar classical ground states and are motivated by the recent synthesis of a number of Mott insulating square-kagome materials as well as of spin-1/2 maple-leaf latt

In dieser Arbeit wird Terahertzspektroskopie (THz) eingesetzt, um nichtlineare niederfrequente Anregungen von kondensierter Materie zu untersuchen. Insbesondere die Anwendung zweidimensionaler (2D) THz-Spektroskopie ermöglicht es, verschiedene Beiträge zu nichtlinearen Signalen zu entflechten. Zunächst wird die nichtlineare polaronische Antwort solvatisierter Elektronen und umliegenden Lösungsmittelmolekülen in der polaren Flüssigkeit Isopropanol erforscht. Solvatisierte Elektronen werden durch Multiphotonen-Ionisation erzeugt. Longitudinale Polaronoszillationen mit THz-Frequenzen werden während der ultraschnellen Lokalisierung der Elektronen impulsiv angeregt. Die Störung solcher Polaronschwingungen mit einem externen THz-Impuls führt zu nichtlinearen Änderungen der transversalen Polaron-Polarisierbarkeit, die sich in deutlichen Änderungen der Oszillationsphase zeigen. Darüber hinaus wird die Erzeugung monozyklischer THz-Impulse in asymmetrischen Halbleiter-Quantentrögen bei resonanter Intersubband-Anregung im Mittelinfraroten (MIR) demonstriert. Die zeitliche Form des emittierten elektrischen THz-Feldes wird durch die Steuerung der Impulsdauer und des elektrischen Feldes der MIR Impulse verändert. Phasenaufgelöste 2D-MIR-Experimente bestätigen, dass die THz-Emission vorrangig auf einen nichtlinearen Verschiebungsstrom bei Femtosekunden-Intersubband-Anregung zurückzuführen ist. Der Einfluss von Intra- und Interbandströmen auf Symmetrieeigenschaften wird in 2D-THz-Experimenten an Wismut demonstriert. Nichtperturbative langwellige Anregung von Ladungsträgern nahe der L-Punkte führt zu einer anisotropen Ladungsträgerverteilung, die sich in einer hexagonalen Winkelabhängigkeit der pump-induzierten THz Transmission manifestiert. Eine damit einhergehende Symmetrieverringerung für bestimmte elektrische Feldpolarisationen erlaubt die Anregung von Zonenrand-Phononen, welche sich in in oszillierenden Signalen in der nichtlinearen 2D-THz-Antwort manifestieren., This thesis exploits techniques of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy to investigate nonlinear low-frequency excitations of condensed matter. In particular, application of two-dimensional (2D) THz spectroscopy allows to disentangle different nonlinear signal contributions. The nonlinear polaronic response of solvated electrons and their surrounding solvent molecules in the polar liquid isopronal is studied. Solvated electrons are generated via multiphoton ionization. Longitudinal polaron oscillations with THz frequencies are impulsively excited during the ultrafast localization of the electrons. Perturbation of such polaron oscillations with an external THz pulse induces nonlinear changes of the transverse polaron polarizability, reflected in distinct modifications to the oscillation phase as mapped in 2D-THz experiments. Further, the generation of mono-cycle THz pulses from asymmetric semiconductor quantum wells upon resonant intersubband excitation in the mid-infrared (MIR) range is demonstrated. The temporal shape of the emitted THz electric field is modified by controlling pulse duration and peak electric field of the MIR driving pulses. Phase-resolved 2D-MIR experiments confirm that the THz emission is predominantly due to a nonlinear shift current generated upon femtosecond intersubband excitation. The influence of combined intra- and interband currents on symmetry properties, which opens novel quantum pathways for phonon excitation in narrow-band-gap materials, is demonstrated by 2D-THz experiments on bismuth. Nonperturbative long-wavelength excitation of charge carriers close to the L points leads to an anisotropic carrier distribution, reflected in a six-fold azimuthal angular dependence of the pump-induced change of THz transmission. A concomitant symmetry reduction for certain electric-field polarizations allows for the excitation of phonons at the zone boundary which are reflected in oscillatory signals in the nonlinear 2D-THz response.

In den letzten Jahrzehnten haben Tischlaserquellen eine bemerkenswerte Entwicklung durchlaufen. Sie sind nun in der Lage, maßgeschneiderte ultrakurze Mehrfarben-Laserpulse zu erzeugen, die es ermöglichen, die elektronische Dynamik in Materialien auf ihrer natürlichen Zeitskala von Attosekunden zu untersuchen. In dieser Arbeit werden verschiedene Kombinationen von elektrischen Feldern genutzt, von extrem-ultravioletten (XUV) bis nahinfraroten Wellenlängen, um komplexe Elektronendynamiken in Atomen und chiralen Medien zu erforschen, zu rekonstruieren und zu kontrollieren. Dabei werden grundlegende Konzepte der Licht-Materie-Wechselwirkung eingeführt, einschließlich starker Feldprozesse, die im Kern der Attosekundenspektroskopie liegen. Ein Schwerpunkt liegt auf der Nutzung eines XUV-Pulses in Kombination mit einem nahinfraroten Puls, um den Bevölkerungstransfer zu hohen Drehimpulszuständen in Heliumatomen zu untersuchen. Durch Manipulation der Laserparameter wird die Rolle des AC Stark-Effekts von gebundenen Zuständen in der beobachteten Dynamik identifiziert. Weitere Untersuchungen umfassen die Verwendung eines bicirculären elektrischen Feldes zur Induktion von HHG in Argon, wobei Anzeichen einer starken Feldfangung von Elektronen in angeregten Zuständen im HHG-Spektrum entdeckt werden. Die Arbeit zeigt die entscheidende Rolle angeregter Zustände in der HHG auf. Zusätzlich wird die Anwendung synthetischer chiraler Felder erforscht, um Chiralität auf achirale Objekte wie Atome zu übertragen, und es wird eine Verbindung zwischen synthetischen chiralen Feldern und strukturiertem Licht hergestellt., In recent decades table-top laser sources have undergone remarkable development and are now capable of generating tailored ultrashort multicolor laser pulses, enabling the study of electronic dynamics in materials on their natural timescale of the attoseconds. In this thesis work various combinations of electric fields spanning from extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) to near-infrared wavelengths are used to investigate, reconstruct and control complex electron dynamics in atoms and chiral media. The initial chapter of this thesis introduces the fundamental concepts underlying light-matter interaction, including strong field processes which lie at the core of attosecond spectroscopy. The second chapter focuses on the utilization of an XUV pulse combined with a near-infrared pulse to study population transfer to high angular momentum states in helium atoms. By manipulating laser parameters, the study identifies the significant role played by the AC Stark shift of bound states in the observed dynamics. In the third chapter a bicircular electric field is employed to induce HHG in argon. Changing the timedelay between the two frequencies, indications of strong field trapping of electrons in excited states are uncovered within the HHG spectrum, confirming the existence of long-lived trajectories lasting multiple optical cycles. The study conclusively demonstrates the crucial role of excited states in HHG. The fourth chapter explores the application of synthetic chiral fields—whose polarization traces a chiral curve over the optical cycle—to imprint chirality on achiral objects such as atoms, both in the low- and strong-field regime. Moreover, the thesis establishes a connection between synthetic chiral fields and structured light, introducing chiral vortex beams with azimuthally varying handedness.

Wird DNA mit UV-Licht bestrahlt, kommt es zur Bildung von Photoschäden, die zu Zelltod oder Krebs führen können. In dieser Arbeit wird die primäre Elektronentransferreaktion des lichtaktivierten Reparaturprozesses des (6-4)-Schadens in Drosophila melanogaster charakterisiert. Der katalytische Reparaturzyklus wird durch das Flavoprotein (6-4)-Photolyase (PL) realisiert. Der Elektronentransfer (ET) vom Flavin-Adenin-Dinukleotid (FADH⁻) Kofaktor zum Schaden initiiert die molekularen Umlagerungen. Diese Arbeit charakterisiert die primäre ET Reaktion mithilfe von molekulardynamischen Langzeitsimulationen (µs) in Kombination mit Quantenmechanik/Molekularmechanik-Simulationen. Ab initio lokale Coupled-Cluster- und Dichtefunktionaltheorierechnungen wurden angewendet, um die relative Energetik von lokal angeregten und Ladungstransferzuständen des (6-4)-Reparaturkomplexes zu charakterisieren. Es zeigt sich, dass die Reduktion des (6-4)-Schadens durch einen Ladungstransferzustand ermöglicht wird an dem die Adeninstruktur des FADH⁻ -Kofaktors beteiligt ist. Über die Simulationen wird ein mikroskopisches Bild der Reaktionskoordinate der Elektronentransferreaktion im Marcusbild entwickelt. Diese ist nicht vollständig durch parabolische freie Energiekurven beschrieben sondern wird, durch Wechselwirkungen in der aktiven Tasche, ein Multiminima-Reaktionspfad ausgebildet. Hierbei hat die Rotation der Seitenkette der benachbarten, geladenen Aminosäure Lys246 dominanten Einfluss. Dies legt nahe, dass die primäre ET Reaktion der (6-4) Schadensreparatur, einen vom Adenin unterstützten ET Weg von der PL zur 5’ Seite des Schadens nimmt. Dieser Prozess wird durch benachbarte Aminosäuren und einer Stärkung der Wasserstoffbrücken mit Wassermolekülen stabilisiert. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit zeigen, dass ET-Reaktionen in komplexen enzymatischen Systemen nicht im Kontinuumsbild von ET beschrieben werden können, da lokale Wechselwirkungen drastischen Einfluss auf die ET Reaktionen haben., UV-light irradiation of DNA leads to the formation of photolesions that can cause cell death and cancer. This thesis aims at the characterization of the primary electron transfer (ET) reaction in the photoactivated repair process of the (6-4) lesion in Drosophila melanogaster. The catalytic repair cycle is realized by a flavoprotein called photolyase (PL). The ET from the fully reduced flavin-adenine-dinucleotide (FADH⁻) cofactor of the PL to the lesion initiates molecular rearrangements. In this thesis fluctuation properties of the enzyme environment on the excited states are considered by conducting long-time (µs) molecular dynamics simulations combined with extensive quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical simulations. Ab initio local coupled cluster simulations and density functional theory are applied to characterize the relative energetics of locally excited and charge transfer (CT) states in the (6-4) lesion repair complex. Reduction of the (6-4) lesion is found to be enabled by a CT state involving the adenine moiety of the FADH⁻ cofactor. Microscopic characterization of a Marcus-type free energy reaction coordinate reveals that it cannot be fully described by parabolic free energy curves. Specifically, rotation of the side chain of nearby charged amino acid Lys246 imposes a double-well character on the potential energy surface along the reaction coordinate of the ET. For the ET reaction triggering the catalytic (6-4) lesion repair, the findings of this thesis suggest an ET pathway to the 5’ side of the (6-4) lesion mediated by the adenine moiety. The process is stabilized by neighboring amino acids and a strengthening of hydrogen bonds with water molecules. The presented results demonstrate that ET reactions in complex enzymatic systems cannot be described within the continuum ET picture, as local interactions drastically tune the ET reaction.

Im ersten Teil dieser Arbeit wird die zeitliche Korrelation von Photonen untersucht, welche durch parametrischer Fluoreszenz in einem nichtlinearen Medium innerhalb eines Resonators erzeugt werden. Dafür wird eine komplette theoretische Beschreibung hergeleitet, welche die zeitlichen Korrelationen zwischen signal-idler, signal-signal und signal-signal-idler Photonen mittels spektraler Eigenschaften der Photonenquelle beschreibt. Damit lässt sich der Einfluss des Resonators auf die zeitlichen Korrelationen bestimmen. Passende experimentelle Messungen werden präzise durch diese Theorie beschrieben, wodurch diese bestätigt werden konnte. Im zweiten Teil dieser Arbeit wird erstmalig die Austauschphase von Photonen direkt gemessen. Um die Austauschphase in einer direkten Messung zu bestimmen, muss der ursprüngliche Zwei-Photonen-Zustand mit seinem permutierten Zustand interferieren. Für die experimentelle Umsetzung wird ein neues spezielles Interferometer benötigt, welches hier vorgestellt und charakterisiert wird. Mithilfe der durchgeführten Experimente konnten die bosonischen Eigenschaften von Photonen nachgewiesen und eine untere Grenze für eine direkt gemessen Austauschphase festgelegt werden. Der letzte Teil dieser Arbeit untersucht Frequenzkonversion in nichtlinearen Medien. Durch die Verwendung mehrere Kornversionsschritte ist es z.B. möglich die Erzeugung von Rauschphotonen bei bestimmten Zielwellenlänge zu verhindern. Hier wird eine Möglichkeit vorgestellt bei der mehrere Kornversionsschritte innerhalb eines nichtlinearen Kristalls realisiert werden, indem der Kristall lokal verschieden temperiert wird. Die Durchführbarkeit dieser Technik wurde theoretisch untersucht und experimentell bestätigt. Weitere Anwendungsmöglichkeiten werden ausführlich diskutiert., The first part of this thesis investigates the temporal correlation of photons, generated in a spontaneous parametric down-conversion process inside of a nonlinear crystal, which is placed in a resonator to enhance specific emission lines. However, the cavity influences the temporal correlation of the photons, which is crucial for most applications. This thesis derives a complete theory to describe the temporal correlations of signal-idler, signal-signal and signal-signal-idler photons using the spectral properties of the photon source. The derived theoretical description precisely predicts the experimental measurements, which were performed to verify the theory. In the second part the exchange phase of photon is measured directly for the first time. Directly, this can only be verified experimentally by interference between the two-photon state and its permuted form. Here a new interferometer technique is introduced to directly determine the photon exchange phase. The experimental results provide evidence of the bosonic nature of photons and state a lower bound for a directly measured exchange phase of photons. The last part deals with frequency conversion in nonlinear materials. Depending on the wavelengths involved, the conversion processes introduce noise at the target wavelength, which is critical at the single photon level. Then multiple conversion steps are required for a low noise frequency conversion. We present an approach to realize multiple conversion steps with a single nonlinear crystal by applying different local temperatures to that nonlinear crystal. The feasibility of that approach is confirmed experimentally and further possible applications are considered.

Siliziumsensoren werden aufgrund ihrer hohen Strahlenhärte und mechanischen Stabilität in der Hochenergiephysik breit eingesetzt. Während des Herstellungsprozesses werden jedoch einige Defekte auf der Sensoroberfläche erzeugt, was zu komplexen Oberflächeneigenschaften führt. Die großflächigen Siliziumsensoren für das ATLAS Inner Tracker (ITK) Upgrade zeigen eine Sensitivität auf Luftfeuchtigkeit, was dazu führt, dass die Sensoren einen hohen Leckstrom aufweisen und dadurch mitunter nicht mehr als Teilchendetektoren unter einer hohen Spannung in einer Umgebung mit hoher Luftfeuchtigkeit betrieben werden können. Zur Erforschung der Oberflächeneigenschaften und um den Breakdown-Mechanismus zu verstehen, wird die Top Transient Current Technique (Top TCT) eingesetzt, um den Ladungstransportprozess in Siliziumsensoren zu analysieren. Diese Methode verwendet schnelle Laserpulse, die auf einen mikrometergroßen Bereich fokussiert sind, um die Vorderseite des Sensors zu beleuchten und Elektron-Loch-Paare innerhalb der ersten Mikrometer unter der Oberfläche zu erzeugen. Diese Ladungsträger bewegen sich unter dem Einfluss des angelegten elektrischen Feldes, wodurch transiente Ströme an der Elektrode induziert werden. Durch die Analyse dieser transienten Signale, in Abhängigkeit von der Position des laserinjizierten Bereiches und der angelegten Spannung, kann das elektrische Feld in der Nähe der Oberfläche qualitativ abgeschätzt werden. In dieser Arbeit werden sowohl Simulation als auch Messung unter Verwendung der Top TCT-Methode an einer planaren Diode durchgeführt. Die Simulation erfolgt mithilfe der Software Allpix Squared, einem Monte-Carlo-Simulationsframework, das speziell für Halbleiterdetektoren entwickelt wurde. Die effektive Dotierstoffkonzentration, die Vollverarmungsspannung und die aktive Dicke einer planaren Silizium n-in-p Diode werden mit der Top TCT-Methode gemessen. Die Übertragungsfunktion des externen Stromkreises wird durch Fourier-Transformationsanalyse so, Silicon sensors are widely used in high-energy physics due to their high radiation hardness and mechanical stability. However, during the fabrication process, several defects are introduced to the sensor surface, resulting in complex surface properties. The large-area silicon sensors for the ATLAS Inner Tracker (ITK) Upgrade show signs of early surface breakdown at high humidity. This results in the sensors experiencing a high leakage current and are not inoperable as particle detectors when biased in a high-humidity environment. To investigate the surface properties and understand the breakdown mechanism, the Top Transient Current Technique (Top TCT) is used to study the charge transport process in silicon sensors. This method utilizes fast laser pulses, focused to a micrometer-sized spot, to illuminate the front side of the sensor, generating electron-hole pairs within the first several micrometers from the surface. These charge carriers then drift under the influence of the applied electric field, inducing transient currents on the electrode. By analyzing these transient signals as a function of the laser-injected position and the applied bias voltage, the distribution of the surface electric field can be qualitatively estimated. In this work, both simulation and measurement using the Top TCT method on a planar diode are performed. The simulation is conducted using the Allpix Squared software, a Monte Carlo simulation framework specially developed for semiconductor detectors. The effective doping concentration, full-depletion voltage, and active thickness of a planar silicon n-in-p diode are measured using the Top TCT method. The transfer function of the read-out electric circuit is extracted through Fourier transform analysis of both the simulated and measured data. A new parameter ”surface reflectivity” is implemented and modified in Allpix Squared to simulate the charge transport at the silicon-silicon dioxide interface, where a field pushing the electrons tow

The article processing charge was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – 491192747 and the Open Access Publication Fund of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin., Social semiotic discussions about the role played by representations in effective teaching and learning in areas such as physics have led to theoretical proposals that have a strong common thread: in order to acquire an appropriate understanding of a particular object of learning, access to the disciplinary relevance aspects in the representations used calls for the attainment of representational competence across a particular critical constellation of systematically used semiotic resources (which are referred to as modes, see more on this later). However, an affirming empirical investigation into the relationship between a particular object of learning and different representational formulations, particularly with large numbers of students, is missing in the literature, especially in the context of university-level physics education. To start to address, this research shortfall the positioning for this article is that such studies need to embrace the complexities of student thinking and application of knowledge. To achieve this, both factor and network analyses were used. Even though both approaches are grounded in different frameworks, for the task at hand, both approaches are useful for analyzing clustering dynamics within the responses of a large number of participants. Both also facilitate an exploration of how such clusters may relate to the semiotic resource formulation of a representation. The data were obtained from a questionnaire given to 1368 students drawn from 12 universities across 7 countries. The questionnaire deals with the refraction of light in introductory-level physics and involves asking students to give their best prediction of the relative visual positioning of images and objects in different semiotically constituted situations. The results of both approaches revealed no one-to-one relationship between a particular representational formulation and a particular cluster of student responses. The factor analysis used correct answer responses to, Peer Reviewed