The issue of calculating at strong coupling is a hard problem in physics. The discovery of gauge-gravity duality at the end of the Twentieth Century provides a novel means of calculating in a large-N gauge theory at strong coupling. In this thesis we apply the method of gauge-gr…
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The production of dense samples of atoms whose translational velocity can be parameterized by temperatures in the microkelvin range has revolutionized the fields of spectroscopy, metrology, quantum computing and sensitive tests of quantum mechanics. Such ultracold temperatures m…
In this thesis I report significant advances towards the goal of stable ultrashort pulse generation in mode-locked optically pumped vertical external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs). Continuous wave VECSELs were first designed as a type of semiconductor laser capable of…
The performance of light emitting and light harvesting devices is improved by utilising resonant energy transfer. In lighting applications, the emission energy of a semiconductor heterostructure and the absorption of organic dyes or colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are engineered so…
Plastic scintillators provide homeland security organisations with large area, low cost gamma-ray counters at international borders. Currently these detectors connot distinguish between the sources they detect, leading to high false alarm rates during primary screening. These al…
Optically-Pumped Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (OP-VECSELs) arc novel semiconductor-based lasers that have many advantages over other lasers in terms of the power scalability, good beam quality, compactness and low cost they can offer. They can be passively mo…
This thesis describes a series of theoretical and experimental studies into modifying the phasematching characteristics of nonlinear parametric interactions, specifically second harmonic generation, using quasi-phase-matched structures. The use of quasi-phase-matching by periodi…
A new evaluation has been made of the independent and cumulative yields of fission products for a selection of fissioning systems, including fission of nuclides important for reactor design and operation, and for fuel and waste management. The evaluation, which has been given th…
Neutrino oscillation experiments discover that (left-handed) neutrinos have masses much less than charged leptons and quarks in the Standard Model. One solution to the light neutrino mass puzzle is the seesaw model where right-handed neutrinos are introduced with large Majorana …
The unique optical properties of metallic nanostructures have enabled the creation of a new generation of ultra sensitive biosensors based on vibrational spectroscopy. Through strict engineering of structural morphology, a nanometal’s free electrons can be tuned to resonate at a…
The work in this thesis is focused on characterisation and evaluation of two classes of science grade imaging radiation detectors. The first class is Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS). The advances in CMOS fabrication technologies over the last four decades allowed MAPS to …
Lifetime measurements offer excellent opportunities for precision tests of the Standard Model of Particle Physics as well as for discovery of effects involving particles beyond the Standard Model. This thesis presents a method for measurements of lifetimes and lifetime ratios an…
The LHCb experiment at the CERN LHC accelerator will begin physics data taking in late 2009. LHCb aims to discover New Physics processes via precision measurements using heavy flavoured hadrons, such as B and D hadrons. This thesis describes studies relevant to measurements of B…
This thesis explores the prediction of rearwards fan noise propagation within the bypass duct and its radiation into the far feld. Two recently developed models: B-induct and GXMunt, are exploited in application to real engine bypass ducts and their performance is evaluated. The…
Research on fluorescence-based integrated optical immunoassay multisensing systems has gained growing interest in the last ten years. This is because the systems have the potential to simultaneously detect multiple analytes in a single measurement, and the techniques involved ar…
This thesis covers the construction and characterisation of a magneto-optical trap (MOT) for 85Rb from the very beginning. It details both the optical and mechanical aspects from laser diode assembly, tuning and stabilisation to the preparation and assembly of the vacuum system.…
The work presented in this thesis deals with two important low dimensional nanostructures: carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and quantum dots (QDs). In the part of the work related to CNTs a novel method for growing CNTs without the need of metal catalyst is presented. The as produced CNT…
This thesis presents experimental analysis of polariton dynamics in semiconductor umicrocavities. A microcavity is a monolithic structure composed of two distribnted Bragg reflectors which are separated by a layer of active material. Strong coupling between excitons residing in …
Optical waveguides (type-I), with perfect mode matching to the standard single-mode fibre and with an overall insertion loss of ~1 dB, have been demonstrated in high index bismuth borate glass by femtosecond laser direct writing. Broadening of the transmitted light source by as …
The subject of this thesis is the study of mass transport using experimental and theoretical techniques, specifically the investigation of transport through phospholipid barriers which serve as a model for biological systems. To this end, experimental monolayer and bilayer membr…