@phdthesis{ElYoussoufi2024, author = {El Youssoufi, Dalal}, title = {Stellar populations, morphology and kinematics of the Magellanic clouds}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-65260}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-652607}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xxiv, 163}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Galaxy morphology is a fossil record of how galaxies formed and evolved and can be regarded as a function of the dynamical state of a galaxy. It encodes the physical processes that dominate its evolutionary history, and is strongly aligned with physical properties like stellar mass, star formation rate and local environment. At a distance of ∼50 and 60 kpc, the Magellanic Clouds represent the nearest interacting pair of dwarf irregular galaxies to the Milky Way, rendering them an important test bed for galaxy morphology in the context of galaxy interactions and the effect of the local environment in which they reside. The Large Magellanic Cloud is classified as the prototype for Magellanic Spiral galaxies, with one prominent spiral arm, an offset bar and an inclined rotating disc while the Small Magellanic Cloud is classified as a dwarf Irregular galaxy and is known for its unstructured shape and large depth across the line-of-sight. Resolved stellar populations are powerful probes of a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, the proximity of the Magellanic Clouds allows us to resolve their stellar populations to individual stars that share coherent chemical and age distributions. The coherent properties of resolved stellar populations enable us to analyse them as a function of position within the Magellanic Clouds, offering a picture of the growth of the galaxies' substructures over time and yielding a comprehensive view of their morphology. Furthermore, investigating the kinematics of the Magellanic Clouds offers valuable insights into their dynamics and evolutionary history. By studying the motions and velocities of stars within these galaxies, we can trace their past interactions, with the Milky Way or with each other and unravel the complex interplay of forces that have influenced the Magellanic Clouds' formation and evolution. In Chapter 2, the VISTA survey of the Magellanic Clouds was employed to generate unprecedented high-resolution morphological maps of the Magellanic Clouds in the near-infrared. Utilising colour-magnitude diagrams and theoretical evolutionary models to segregate stellar populations, this approach enabled a comprehensive age tomography of the galaxies. It revealed previously uncharacterised features in their central regions at spatial resolutions of 0.13 kpc (Large Magellanic Cloud) and 0.16 kpc (Small Magellanic Cloud), the findings showcased the impact of tidal interactions on their inner regions. Notably, the study highlighted the enhanced coherent structures in the Large Magellanic Cloud, shedding light on the significant role of the recent Magellanic Clouds' interaction 200 Myr ago in shaping many of the fine structures. The Small Magellanic Cloud revealed asymmetry in younger populations and irregularities in intermediate-age ones, pointing towards the influence of past tidal interactions. In Chapter 3, an examination of the outskirts of the Magellanic Clouds led to the identification of new substructures through the use of near-infrared photometry from the VISTA Hemisphere Survey and multi-dimensional phase-space information from Gaia. The distances and proper motions of these substructures were investigated. This analysis revealed the impact of past Magellanic Clouds' interactions and the influence of the Milky Way's tidal field on the morphology and kinematics of the Magellanic Clouds. A bi-modal distance distribution was identified within the luminosity function of the red clump stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, notably in its eastern regions, with the foreground substructure being attributed to the Magellanic Clouds' interaction around 200 Myr ago. Furthermore, associations with the Counter Bridge and Old Bridge were uncovered through the detection of background and foreground structures in various regions of the SMC. In chapter 4, a detailed kinematic analysis of the Small Magellanic Cloud was conducted using spectra from the European Southern Observatory Science Archive Facility. The study reveals distinct kinematics in the Wing and bar regions, attributed to interactions with the Large Magellanic Cloud and variations in star formation history. Notably, velocity disparities are observed in the bar's young main sequence stars, aligning with specific star-forming episodes, and suggesting potential galactic stretching or tidal stripping, as corroborated by proper motion studies.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Pauli2024, author = {Pauli, Daniel}, title = {Unraveling massive star and binary physics in the nearby low-metallicity galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud, as a proxy for high-redshift galaxies}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-65318}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-653184}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {169}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Massive stars (Mini > 8 Msol) are the key feedback agents within galaxies, as they shape their surroundings via their powerful winds, ionizing radiation, and explosive supernovae. Most massive stars are born in binary systems, where interactions with their companions significantly alter their evolution and the feedback they deposit in their host galaxy. Understanding binary evolution, particularly in the low-metallicity environments as proxies for the Early Universe, is crucial for interpreting the rest-frame ultraviolet spectra observed in high-redshift galaxies by telescopes like Hubble and James Webb. This thesis aims to tackle this challenge by investigating in detail massive binaries within the low-metallicity environment of the Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy. From ultraviolet and multi-epoch optical spectroscopic data, we uncovered post-interaction binaries. To comprehensively characterize these binary systems, their stellar winds, and orbital parameters, we use a multifaceted approach. The Potsdam Wolf-Rayet stellar atmosphere code is employed to obtain the stellar and wind parameters of the stars. Additionally, we perform consistent light and radial velocity fitting with the Physics of Eclipsing Binaries software, allowing for the independent determination of orbital parameters and component masses. Finally, we utilize these results to challenge the standard picture of stellar evolution and improve our understanding of low-metallicity stellar populations by calculating our binary evolution models with the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics code. We discovered the first four O-type post-interaction binaries in the SMC (Chapters 2, 5, and 6). Their primary stars have temperatures similar to other OB stars and reside far from the helium zero-age main sequence, challenging the traditional view of binary evolution. Our stellar evolution models suggest this may be due to enhanced mixing after core-hydrogen burning. Furthermore, we discovered the so-far most massive binary system undergoing mass transfer (Chapter 3), offering a unique opportunity to test mass-transfer efficiency in extreme conditions. Our binary evolution calculations revealed unexpected evolutionary pathways for accreting stars in binaries, potentially providing the missing link to understanding the observed Wolf-Rayet population within the SMC (Chapter 4). The results presented in this thesis unveiled the properties of massive binaries at low-metallicity which challenge the way the spectra of high-redshift galaxies are currently being analyzed as well as our understanding of massive-star feedback within galaxies.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Fułat2024, author = {Fułat, Karol}, title = {Electron acceleration at quasi-perpendicular shocks in supernova remnants}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-65136}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-651365}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {vi, 94}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Astrophysical shocks, driven by explosive events such as supernovae, efficiently accelerate charged particles to relativistic energies. The majority of these shocks occur in collisionless plasmas where the energy transfer is dominated by particle-wave interactions.Strong nonrelativistic shocks found in supernova remnants are plausible sites of galactic cosmic ray production, and the observed emission indicates the presence of nonthermal electrons. To participate in the primary mechanism of energy gain - Diffusive Shock Acceleration - electrons must have a highly suprathermal energy, implying a need for very efficient pre-acceleration. This poorly understood aspect of the shock acceleration theory is known as the electron injection problem. Studying electron-scale phenomena requires the use of fully kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, which describe collisionless plasma from first principles. Most published studies consider a homogenous upstream medium, but turbulence is ubiquitous in astrophysical environments and is typically driven at magnetohydrodynamic scales, cascading down to kinetic scales. For the first time, I investigate how preexisting turbulence affects electron acceleration at nonrelativistic shocks using the fully kinetic approach. To accomplish this, I developed a novel simulation framework that allows the study of shocks propagating in turbulent media. It involves simulating slabs of turbulent plasma separately, which are further continuously inserted into a shock simulation. This demands matching of the plasma slabs at the interface. A new procedure of matching electromagnetic fields and currents prevents numerical transients, and the plasma evolves self-consistently. The versatility of this framework has the potential to render simulations more consistent with turbulent systems in various astrophysical environments. In this Thesis, I present the results of 2D3V PIC simulations of high-Mach-number nonrelativistic shocks with preexisting compressive turbulence in an electron-ion plasma. The chosen amplitudes of the density fluctuations (\$\lesssim15\\%\$) concord with \textit{in situ} measurements in the heliosphere and the local interstellar medium. I explored how these fluctuations impact the dynamics of upstream electrons, the driving of the plasma instabilities, electron heating and acceleration. My results indicate that while the presence of the turbulence enhances variations in the upstream magnetic field, their levels remain too low to influence the behavior of electrons at perpendicular shocks significantly. However, the situation is different at oblique shocks. The external magnetic field inclined at an angle between \$50^\circ \lesssim \theta_\text{Bn} \lesssim 75^\circ\$ relative to the shock normal allows the escape of fast electrons toward the upstream region. An extended electron foreshock region is formed, where these particles drive various instabilities. Results of an oblique shock with \$\theta_\text{Bn}=60^\circ\$ propagating in preexisting compressive turbulence show that the foreshock becomes significantly shorter, and the shock-reflected electrons have higher temperatures. Furthermore, the energy spectrum of downstream electrons shows a well-pronounced nonthermal tail that follows a power law with an index up to -2.3. The methods and results presented in this Thesis could serve as a starting point for more realistic modeling of interactions between shocks and turbulence in plasmas from first principles.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{ValenciaSanmiguel2003, author = {Valencia Sanmiguel, Antonio}, title = {Condensation and crystallization on patterned surfaces}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-65195}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-651950}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {102, XXII}, year = {2003}, abstract = {Condensation and crystallization are omnipresent phenomena in nature. The formation of droplets or crystals on a solid surface are familiar processes which, beyond their scientific interest, are required in many technological applications. In recent years, experimental techniques have been developed which allow patterning a substrate with surface domains of molecular thickness, surface area in the mesoscopic scale, and different wettabilities (i.e., different degrees of preference for a substance that is in contact with the substrate). The existence of new patterned surfaces has led to increased theoretical efforts to understand wetting phenomena in such systems. In this thesis, we deal with some problems related to the equilibrium of phases (e.g., liquid-vapor coexistence) and the kinetics of phase separation in the presence of chemically patterned surfaces. Two different cases are considered: (i) patterned surfaces in contact with liquid and vapor, and (ii) patterned surfaces in contact with a crystalline phase. One of the problems that we have studied is the following: It is widely believed that if air containing water vapor is cooled to its dew point, droplets of water are immediately formed. Although common experience seems to support this view, it is not correct. It is only when air is cooled well below its dew point that the phase transition occurs immediately. A vapor cooled slightly below its dew point is in a metastable state, meaning that the liquid phase is more stable than the vapor, but the formation of droplets requires some time to occur, which can be very long. It was first pointed out by J. W. Gibbs that the metastability of a vapor depends on the energy necessary to form a nucleus (a droplet of a critical size). Droplets smaller than the critical size will tend to disappear, while droplets larger than the critical size will tend to grow. This is consistent with an energy barrier that has its maximum at the critical size, as is the case for droplets formed directly in the vapor or in contact with a chemically uniform planar wall. Classical nucleation theory describes the time evolution of the condensation in terms of the random process of droplet growth through this energy barrier. This process is activated by thermal fluctuations, which eventually will form a droplet of the critical size. We consider nucleation of droplets from a vapor on a substrate patterned with easily wettable (lyophilic) circular domains. Under certain conditions of pressure and temperature, the condensation of a droplet on a lyophilic circular domain proceeds through a barrier with two maxima (a double barrier). We have extended classical nucleation theory to account for the kinetics of nucleation through a double barrier, and applied this extension to nucleation on lyophilic circular domains.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{NovakovićMarinković2024, author = {Novaković-Marinković, Nina}, title = {Optical control of bubble domains and skyrmions in thin films}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-64706}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-647069}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {ii, 106}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Laser induced switching offers an attractive possibility to manipulate small magnetic domains for prospective memory and logic devices on ultrashort time scales. Moreover, optical control of magnetization without high applied magnetic fields allows manipulation of magnetic domains individually and locally, without expensive heat dissipation. One of the major challenges for developing novel optically controlled magnetic memory and logic devices is reliable formation and annihilation of non-volatile magnetic domains that can serve as memory bits in ambient conditions. Magnetic skyrmions, topologically nontrivial spin textures, have been studied intensively since their discovery due to their stability and scalability in potential spintronic devices. However, skyrmion formation and, especially, annihilation processes are still not completely understood and further investigation on such mechanisms are needed. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to better understanding of the physical processes behind the optical control of magnetism in thin films, with the goal of optimizing material parameters and methods for their potential use in next generation memory and logic devices. First part of the thesis is dedicated to investigation of all-optical helicity-dependent switching (AO-HDS) as a method for magnetization manipulation. AO-HDS in Co/Pt multilayer and CoFeB alloys with and without the presence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), which is a type of exchange interaction, have been investigated by magnetic imaging using photo-emission electron microscopy (PEEM) in combination with X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The results show that in a narrow range of the laser fluence, circularly polarized laser light induces a drag on domain walls. This enables a local deterministic transformation of the magnetic domain pattern from stripes to bubbles in out-of-plane magnetized Co/Pt multilayers, only controlled by the helicity of ultrashort laser pulses. The temperature and characteristic fields at which the stripe-bubble transformation occurs has been calculated using theory for isolated magnetic bubbles, using as parameters experimentally determined average size of stripe domains and the magnetic layer thickness. The second part of the work aims at purely optical formation and annihilation of magnetic skyrmions by a single laser pulse. The presence of a skyrmion phase in the investigated CoFeB alloys was first confirmed using a Kerr microscope. Then the helicity-dependent skyrmion manipulation was studied using AO-HDS at different laser fluences. It was found that formation or annihilation individual skyrmions using AO-HDS is possible, but not always reliable, as fluctuations in the laser fluence or position can easily overwrite the helicity-dependent effect of AO-HDS. However, the experimental results and magnetic simulations showed that the threshold values for the laser fluence for the formation and annihilation of skyrmions are different. A higher fluence is required for skyrmion formation, and existing skyrmions can be annihilated by pulses with a slightly lower fluence. This provides a further option for controlling formation and annihilation of skyrmions using the laser fluence. Micromagnetic simulations provide additional insights into the formation and annihilation mechanism. The ability to manipulate the magnetic state of individual skyrmions is of fundamental importance for magnetic data storage technologies. Our results show for the first time that the optical formation and annihilation of skyrmions is possible without changing the external field. These results enable further investigations to optimise the magnetic layer to maximise the energy gap between the formation and annihilation barrier. As a result, unwanted switching due to small laser fluctuations can be avoided and fully deterministic optical switching can be achieved.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Khosravi2023, author = {Khosravi, Sara}, title = {The effect of new turbulence parameterizations for the stable surface layer on simulations of the Arctic climate}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-64352}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-643520}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {XIV, 119}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Arctic climate change is marked by intensified warming compared to global trends and a significant reduction in Arctic sea ice which can intricately influence mid-latitude atmospheric circulation through tropo- and stratospheric pathways. Achieving accurate simulations of current and future climate demands a realistic representation of Arctic climate processes in numerical climate models, which remains challenging. Model deficiencies in replicating observed Arctic climate processes often arise due to inadequacies in representing turbulent boundary layer interactions that determine the interactions between the atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean. Many current climate models rely on parameterizations developed for mid-latitude conditions to handle Arctic turbulent boundary layer processes. This thesis focuses on modified representation of the Arctic atmospheric processes and understanding their resulting impact on large-scale mid-latitude atmospheric circulation within climate models. The improved turbulence parameterizations, recently developed based on Arctic measurements, were implemented in the global atmospheric circulation model ECHAM6. This involved modifying the stability functions over sea ice and ocean for stable stratification and changing the roughness length over sea ice for all stratification conditions. Comprehensive analyses are conducted to assess the impacts of these modifications on ECHAM6's simulations of the Arctic boundary layer, overall atmospheric circulation, and the dynamical pathways between the Arctic and mid-latitudes. Through a step-wise implementation of the mentioned parameterizations into ECHAM6, a series of sensitivity experiments revealed that the combined impacts of the reduced roughness length and the modified stability functions are non-linear. Nevertheless, it is evident that both modifications consistently lead to a general decrease in the heat transfer coefficient, being in close agreement with the observations. Additionally, compared to the reference observations, the ECHAM6 model falls short in accurately representing unstable and strongly stable conditions. The less frequent occurrence of strong stability restricts the influence of the modified stability functions by reducing the affected sample size. However, when focusing solely on the specific instances of a strongly stable atmosphere, the sensible heat flux approaches near-zero values, which is in line with the observations. Models employing commonly used surface turbulence parameterizations were shown to have difficulties replicating the near-zero sensible heat flux in strongly stable stratification. I also found that these limited changes in surface layer turbulence parameterizations have a statistically significant impact on the temperature and wind patterns across multiple pressure levels, including the stratosphere, in both the Arctic and mid-latitudes. These significant signals vary in strength, extent, and direction depending on the specific month or year, indicating a strong reliance on the background state. Furthermore, this research investigates how the modified surface turbulence parameterizations may influence the response of both stratospheric and tropospheric circulation to Arctic sea ice loss. The most suitable parameterizations for accurately representing Arctic boundary layer turbulence were identified from the sensitivity experiments. Subsequently, the model's response to sea ice loss is evaluated through extended ECHAM6 simulations with different prescribed sea ice conditions. The simulation with adjusted surface turbulence parameterizations better reproduced the observed Arctic tropospheric warming in vertical extent, demonstrating improved alignment with the reanalysis data. Additionally, unlike the control experiments, this simulation successfully reproduced specific circulation patterns linked to the stratospheric pathway for Arctic-mid-latitude linkages. Specifically, an increased occurrence of the Scandinavian-Ural blocking regime (negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation) in early (late) winter is observed. Overall, it can be inferred that improving turbulence parameterizations at the surface layer can improve the ECHAM6's response to sea ice loss.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Damseaux2024, author = {Damseaux, Adrien}, title = {Improving permafrost dynamics in land surface models: insights from dual sensitivity experiments}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-63945}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-639450}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xiii, 143}, year = {2024}, abstract = {The thawing of permafrost and the subsequent release of greenhouse gases constitute one of the most significant and uncertain positive feedback loops in the context of climate change, making predictions regarding changes in permafrost coverage of paramount importance. To address these critical questions, climate scientists have developed Land Surface Models (LSMs) that encompass a multitude of physical soil processes. This thesis is committed to advancing our understanding and refining precise representations of permafrost dynamics within LSMs, with a specific focus on the accurate modeling of heat fluxes, an essential component for simulating permafrost physics. The first research question overviews fundamental model prerequisites for the representation of permafrost soils within land surface modeling. It includes a first-of-its-kind comparison between LSMs in CMIP6 to reveal their differences and shortcomings in key permafrost physics parameters. Overall, each of these LSMs represents a unique approach to simulating soil processes and their interactions with the climate system. Choosing the most appropriate model for a particular application depends on factors such as the spatial and temporal scale of the simulation, the specific research question, and available computational resources. The second research question evaluates the performance of the state-of-the-art Community Land Model (CLM5) in simulating Arctic permafrost regions. Our approach overcomes traditional evaluation limitations by individually addressing depth, seasonality, and regional variations, providing a comprehensive assessment of permafrost and soil temperature dynamics. I compare CLM5's results with three extensive datasets: (1) soil temperatures from 295 borehole stations, (2) active layer thickness (ALT) data from the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring Network (CALM), and (3) soil temperatures, ALT, and permafrost extent from the ESA Climate Change Initiative (ESA-CCI). The results show that CLM5 aligns well with ESA-CCI and CALM for permafrost extent and ALT but reveals a significant global cold temperature bias, notably over Siberia. These results echo a persistent challenge identified in numerous studies: the existence of a systematic 'cold bias' in soil temperature over permafrost regions. To address this challenge, the following research questions propose dual sensitivity experiments. The third research question represents the first study to apply a Plant Functional Type (PFT)-based approach to derive soil texture and soil organic matter (SOM), departing from the conventional use of coarse-resolution global data in LSMs. This novel method results in a more uniform distribution of soil organic matter density (OMD) across the domain, characterized by reduced OMD values in most regions. However, changes in soil texture exhibit a more intricate spatial pattern. Comparing the results to observations reveals a significant reduction in the cold bias observed in the control run. This method shows noticeable improvements in permafrost extent, but at the cost of an overestimation in ALT. These findings emphasize the model's high sensitivity to variations in soil texture and SOM content, highlighting the crucial role of soil composition in governing heat transfer processes and shaping the seasonal variation of soil temperatures in permafrost regions. Expanding upon a site experiment conducted in Trail Valley Creek by \citet{dutch_impact_2022}, the fourth research question extends the application of the snow scheme proposed by \citet{sturm_thermal_1997} to cover the entire Arctic domain. By employing a snow scheme better suited to the snow density profile observed over permafrost regions, this thesis seeks to assess its influence on simulated soil temperatures. Comparing this method to observational datasets reveals a significant reduction in the cold bias that was present in the control run. In most regions, the Sturm run exhibits a substantial decrease in the cold bias. However, there is a distinctive overshoot with a warm bias observed in mountainous areas. The Sturm experiment effectively addressed the overestimation of permafrost extent in the control run, albeit resulting in a substantial reduction in permafrost extent over mountainous areas. ALT results remain relatively consistent compared to the control run. These outcomes align with our initial hypothesis, which anticipated that the reduced snow insulation in the Sturm run would lead to higher winter soil temperatures and a more accurate representation of permafrost physics. In summary, this thesis demonstrates significant advancements in understanding permafrost dynamics and its integration into LSMs. It has meticulously unraveled the intricacies involved in the interplay between heat transfer, soil properties, and snow dynamics in permafrost regions. These insights offer novel perspectives on model representation and performance.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Doerries2024, author = {D{\"o}rries, Timo Julian}, title = {Anomalous transport and non-Gaussian dynamics in mobile-immobile models}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-63495}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-634959}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {ii, 177}, year = {2024}, abstract = {The mobile-immobile model (MIM) has been established in geoscience in the context of contaminant transport in groundwater. Here the tracer particles effectively immobilise, e.g., due to diffusion into dead-end pores or sorption. The main idea of the MIM is to split the total particle density into a mobile and an immobile density. Individual tracers switch between the mobile and immobile state following a two-state telegraph process, i.e., the residence times in each state are distributed exponentially. In geoscience the focus lies on the breakthrough curve (BTC), which is the concentration at a fixed location over time. We apply the MIM to biological experiments with a special focus on anomalous scaling regimes of the mean squared displacement (MSD) and non-Gaussian displacement distributions. As an exemplary system, we have analysed the motion of tau proteins, that diffuse freely inside axons of neurons. Their free diffusion thereby corresponds to the mobile state of the MIM. Tau proteins stochastically bind to microtubules, which effectively immobilises the tau proteins until they unbind and continue diffusing. Long immobilisation durations compared to the mobile durations give rise to distinct non-Gaussian Laplace shaped distributions. It is accompanied by a plateau in the MSD for initially mobile tracer particles at relevant intermediate timescales. An equilibrium fraction of initially mobile tracers gives rise to non-Gaussian displacements at intermediate timescales, while the MSD remains linear at all times. In another setting bio molecules diffuse in a biosensor and transiently bind to specific receptors, where advection becomes relevant in the mobile state. The plateau in the MSD observed for the advection-free setting and long immobilisation durations persists also for the case with advection. We find a new clear regime of anomalous diffusion with non-Gaussian distributions and a cubic scaling of the MSD. This regime emerges for initially mobile and for initially immobile tracers. For an equilibrium fraction of initially mobile tracers we observe an intermittent ballistic scaling of the MSD. The long-time effective diffusion coefficient is enhanced by advection, which we physically explain with the variance of mobile durations. Finally, we generalize the MIM to incorporate arbitrary immobilisation time distributions and focus on a Mittag-Leffler immobilisation time distribution with power-law tail ~ t^(-1-mu) with 030 TeV. Hypothesized primordial black holes (PBHs) are attractive targets for IACTs. If they exist, their potential cosmological impact reaches beyond the candidacy for constituents of dark matter. The sublunar mass window is the largest unconstrained range of PBH masses. This thesis aims to develop novel concepts searching for light PBHs with VERITAS. PBHs below the sublunar window lose mass due to Hawking radiation. They would evaporate at the end of their lifetime, leading to a short burst of gamma-rays. If PBHs formed at about 10^15 g, the evaporation would occur nowadays. Detecting these signals might not only confirm the existence of PBHs but also prove the theory of Hawking radiation. This thesis probes archival VERITAS data recorded between 2012 and 2021 for possible PBH signals. This work presents a new automatic approach to assess the quality of the VERITAS data. The array-trigger rate and far infrared temperature are well suited to identify periods with poor data quality. These are masked by time cuts to obtain a consistent and clean dataset which contains about 4222 hours. The PBH evaporations could occur at any location in the field of view or time within this data. Only a blind search can be performed to identify these short signals. This thesis implements a data-driven deep learning based method to search for short transient signals with VERITAS. It does not depend on the modelling of the effective area and radial acceptance. This work presents the first application of this method to actual observational IACT data. This thesis develops new concepts dealing with the specifics of the data and the transient detection method. These are reflected in the developed data preparation pipeline and search strategies. After correction for trial factors, no candidate PBH evaporation is found in the data. Thus, new constraints of the local rate of PBH evaporations are derived. At the 99\% confidence limit it is below <1.07 * 10^5 pc^-3 yr^-1. This constraint with the new, independent analysis approach is in the range of existing limits for the evaporation rate. This thesis also investigates an alternative novel approach to searching for PBHs with IACTs. Above the sublunar window, the PBH abundance is constrained by optical microlensing studies. The sampling speed, which is of order of minutes to hours for traditional optical telescopes, is a limiting factor in expanding the limits to lower masses. IACTs are also powerful instruments for fast transient optical astronomy with up to O(ns) sampling. This thesis investigates whether IACTs might constrain the sublunar window with optical microlensing observations. This study confirms that, in principle, the fast sampling speed might allow extending microlensing searches into the sublunar mass window. However, the limiting factor for IACTs is the modest sensitivity to detect changes in optical fluxes. This thesis presents the expected rate of detectable events for VERITAS as well as prospects of possible future next-generation IACTs. For VERITAS, the rate of detectable microlensing events in the sublunar range is ~10^-6 per year of observation time. The future prospects for a 100 times more sensitive instrument are at ~0.05 events per year.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Damle2023, author = {Damle, Mitali}, title = {Gas distribution around galaxies in cosmological simulations}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-59054}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-590543}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {ii, xii, 146}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The evolution of a galaxy is pivotally governed by its pattern of star formation over a given period of time. The star formation rate at any given time is strongly dependent on the amount of cold gas available in the galaxy. Accretion of pristine gas from the Intergalactic medium (IGM) is thought to be one of the primary sources for star-forming gas. This gas first passes through the virial regions of the galaxy before reaching the Interstellar medium (ISM), the hub of star formation. On the other hand, owing to the evolutionary course of young and massive stars, energetic winds are ejected from the ISM to the virial regions of the galaxy. A bunch of interlinked, complex astrophysical processes, arising from the concurrent presence of both infalling as well as outbound gas, play out over a range of timescales in the halo region or the Circumgalactic medium (CGM) of a galaxy. It would not be incorrect to say that the CGM has a stronghold over the gas reserves of a galaxy and thus, plays a backhand, yet, rather pivotal role in shaping many galactic properties, some of which are also readily observable. Observing the multi-phase CGM (via spectral-line ion measurements), however, remains a non-trivial effort even today. Low particle densities as well as the CGM's vast spatial extent, coupled with likely deviations from a spherical distribution, marr the possibility of obtaining complete, unbiased, high-quality spectral information tracing the full extent of the gaseous halo. This often incomplete information leads to multiple inferences about the CGM properties that give rise to multiple contradicting models. In this regard, computer simulations offer a neat solution towards testing and, subsequently, falsifying many of these existing CGM models. Thanks to their controlled environments, simulations are able to not only effortlessly transcend several orders of magnitude in time and space, but also get around many of the observational limitations and provide some unique views on many CGM properties. In this thesis, I focus on effectively using different computer simulations to understand the role of CGM in various astrophysical contexts, namely, the effect of Local Group (LG) environment, major merger events and satellite galaxies. In Chapter 2, I discuss the approach used for modeling various phases of the simulated z = 0 LG CGM in Hestia constrained simulations. Each of the three realizations contain a Milky Way (MW)-Andromeda (M31) galaxy pair, along with their corresponding sets of satellite galaxies, all embedded within the larger cosmological context. For characterizing the different temperature-density phases within the CGM, I model five tracer ions with cloudy ionization modeling. The cold and cool-ionized CGM (H i and Si iii respectively) in Hestia is very clumpy and distributed close to the galactic centers, while the warm-hot and hot CGM (O vi, O vii and O viii) is tenuous and volume-filling. On comparing the H i and Si iii column densities for the simulated M31 with observational measurements from Project AMIGA survey and other low-z galaxies, I found that Hestia galaxies produced less gas in the outer CGM, unlike observations. My carefully designed observational bias model subsequently revealed the possibility that some MW gas clouds might be incorrectly associated with the M31 CGM in observations, and hence, may be partly responsible for giving rise to the detected mismatch between simulated data and observations. In Chapter 3, I present results from four zoom-in, major merger, gas-rich simulations and the subsequent role of the gas, originally situated in the CGM, in influencing some of the galactic observables. The progenitor parameters are selected such that the post-merger remnants are MW-mass galaxies. We generally see a very clear gas bridge joining the merging galaxies in case of multiple passage mergers while such a bridge is mostly absent when a direct collision occurs. On the basis of particle-to-galaxy distance computations and tracer particle analysis, I found that about 33-48 percent of the cold gas contributing to the merger-induced star formation in the bridge originated from the CGM regions. In Chapter 4, I used a sample of 234 MW-mass, L* galaxies from the TNG50 cosmological simulations, with an aim of characterizing the impact of their global satellite populations on the extended cold CGM properties of their host L* halos. On the basis of halo mass and number of satellite galaxies (N_sats ), I categorized the sample into low and high mass bins, and subsequently into bottom, inter and top quartiles respectively. After confirming that satellites indeed influence the extended cold halo gas density profiles of the host galaxies, I investigated the effects of different satellite population parameters on the host halo cold CGMs. My analysis showed that there is hardly any cold gas associated with the satellite population of the lowest mass halos. The stellar mass of the most massive satellite (M_*mms ) impacted the cold gas in low mass bin halos the most, while N_sats (followed by M_*mms ) was the most influential factor for the high mass halos. In any case, how easily cold gas was stripped off the most massive satellite did not play much role. The number of massive (Stellar mass, M* > 10^8 M_solar) satellites as well as the M_*mms associated with a galaxy are two of the most crucial parameters determining how much cold gas ultimately finds its way from the satellites to the host halo. Low mass galaxies are found rather lacking on both these fronts unlike their high mass counterparts. This work highlights some aspects of the complex gas physics that constitute the basic essence of a low-z CGM. My analysis proved the importance of a cosmological environment, local surroundings and merger history in defining some key observable properties of a galactic CGM. Furthermore, I found that different satellite properties were responsible for affecting the cold-dense CGM of the low and high-mass parent galaxies. Finally, the LG emerged as an exciting prospect for testing and pinning down several intricate details about the CGM.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Maiti2023, author = {Maiti, Snehanshu}, title = {Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence and cosmic ray transport}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-58903}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-589030}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {vii, 81}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The first part of the thesis studies the properties of fast mode in magneto hydro-dynamic (MHD) turbulence. 1D and 3D numerical simulations are carried out to generate decaying fast mode MHD turbulence. The injection of waves are carried out in a collinear and isotropic fashion to generate fast mode turbulence. The properties of fast mode turbulence are analyzed by studying their energy spectral density, 2D structure functions and energy decay/cascade time. The injection wave vector is varied to study the dependence of the above properties on the injection wave vectors. The 1D energy spectrum obtained for the velocity and magnetic fields has 𝐸 (𝑘) ∝ 𝑘-2. The 2D energy spectrum and 2D structure functions in parallel and perpendicular directions shows that fast mode turbulence generated is isotropic in nature. The cascade/decay rate of fast mode MHD turbulence is proportional to 𝑘-0.5 for different kinds of wave vector injection. Simulations are also carried out in 1D and 3D to compare balanced and imbalanced turbulence. The results obtained shows that while 1D imbalanced turbulence decays faster than 1D balanced turbulence, there is no difference in the decay of 3D balanced and imbalanced turbulence for the current resolution of 512 grid points. "The second part of the thesis studies cosmic ray (CR) transport in driven MHD turbulence and is strongly dependent on it's properties. Test particle simulations are carried out to study CR interaction with both total MHD turbulence and decomposed MHD modes. The spatial diffusion coefficients and the pitch angle scattering diffusion coefficients are calculated from the test particle trajectories in turbulence. The results confirms that the fast modes dominate the CR propagation, whereas Alfv{\´e}n, slow modes are much less efficient with similar pitch angle scattering rates. The cross field transport on large and small scales are investigated next. On large/global scales, normal diffusion is observed and the diffusion coefficient is suppressed by 𝑀𝜁𝐴 compared to the parallel diffusion coefficients, with 𝜁 closer to 4 in Alfv{\´e}n modes than that in total turbulence as theoretically expected. For the CR transport on scales smaller than the turbulence injection scale 𝐿, both the local and global magnetic reference frames are adopted. Super diffusion is observed on such small scales in all the cases. Particularly, CR transport in Alfv{\´e}n modes show clear Richardson diffusion in the local reference frame. The diffusion transition smoothly from the Richardson's one with index 1.5 to normal diffusion as particle's mean free path decreases from 𝜆∥ ≫ 𝐿 to 𝜆∥ ≪ 𝐿. These results have broad applications to CRs in various astrophysical environments".}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Hantschmann2023, author = {Hantschmann, Markus}, title = {Stimulated resonant inelastic X-ray scattering in transition metal systems}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-58476}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-584761}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xv, 160}, year = {2023}, abstract = {With the implementation of intense, short pulsed light sources throughout the last years, the powerful technique of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) became feasible for a wide range of experiments within femtosecond dynamics in correlated materials and molecules. In this thesis I investigate the potential to bring RIXS into the fluence regime of nonlinear X-ray-matter interactions, especially focusing on the impact of stimulated scattering on RIXS in transition metal systems in a transmission spectroscopy geometry around transition metal L-edges. After presenting the RIXS toolbox and the capabilities of free electron laser light sources for ultrafast intense X-ray experiments, the thesis explores an experiment designed to understand the impact of stimulated scattering on diffraction and direct beam transmission spectroscopy on a CoPd multilayer system. The experiments require short X-ray pulses that can only be generated at free electron lasers (FEL). Here the pulses are not only short, but also very intense, which opens the door to nonlinear X-ray-matter interactions. In the second part of this thesis, we investigate observations in the nonlinear interaction regime, look at potential difficulties for classic spectroscopy and investigate possibilities to enhance the RIXS through stimulated scattering. Here, a study on stimulated RIXS is presented, where we investigate the light field intensity dependent CoPd demagnetization in transmission as well as scattering geometry. Thereby we show the first direct observation of stimulated RIXS as well as light field induced nonlinear effects, namely the breakdown of scattering intensity and the increase in sample transmittance. The topic is of ongoing interest and will just increase in relevance as more free electron lasers are planned and the number of experiments at such light sources will continue to increase in the near future. Finally we present a discussion on the accessibility of small DOS shifts in the absorption-band of transition metal complexes through stimulated resonant X-ray scattering. As these shifts occur for example in surface states this finding could expand the experimental selectivity of NEXAFS and RIXS to the detectability of surface states. We show how stimulation can indeed enhance the visibility of DOS shifts through the detection of stimulated spectral shifts and enhancements in this theoretical study. We also forecast the observation of stimulated enhancements in resonant excitation experiments at FEL sources in systems with a high density of states just below the Fermi edge and in systems with an occupied to unoccupied DOS ratio in the valence band above 1.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Braun2023, author = {Braun, Tobias}, title = {Recurrences in past climates}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-58690}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-586900}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xxviii, 251}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Our ability to predict the state of a system relies on its tendency to recur to states it has visited before. Recurrence also pervades common intuitions about the systems we are most familiar with: daily routines, social rituals and the return of the seasons are just a few relatable examples. To this end, recurrence plots (RP) provide a systematic framework to quantify the recurrence of states. Despite their conceptual simplicity, they are a versatile tool in the study of observational data. The global climate is a complex system for which an understanding based on observational data is not only of academical relevance, but vital for the predurance of human societies within the planetary boundaries. Contextualizing current global climate change, however, requires observational data far beyond the instrumental period. The palaeoclimate record offers a valuable archive of proxy data but demands methodological approaches that adequately address its complexities. In this regard, the following dissertation aims at devising novel and further developing existing methods in the framework of recurrence analysis (RA). The proposed research questions focus on using RA to capture scale-dependent properties in nonlinear time series and tailoring recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) to characterize seasonal variability in palaeoclimate records ('Palaeoseasonality'). In the first part of this thesis, we focus on the methodological development of novel approaches in RA. The predictability of nonlinear (palaeo)climate time series is limited by abrupt transitions between regimes that exhibit entirely different dynamical complexity (e.g. crossing of 'tipping points'). These possibly depend on characteristic time scales. RPs are well-established for detecting transitions and capture scale-dependencies, yet few approaches have combined both aspects. We apply existing concepts from the study of self-similar textures to RPs to detect abrupt transitions, considering the most relevant time scales. This combination of methods further results in the definition of a novel recurrence based nonlinear dependence measure. Quantifying lagged interactions between multiple variables is a common problem, especially in the characterization of high-dimensional complex systems. The proposed 'recurrence flow' measure of nonlinear dependence offers an elegant way to characterize such couplings. For spatially extended complex systems, the coupled dynamics of local variables result in the emergence of spatial patterns. These patterns tend to recur in time. Based on this observation, we propose a novel method that entails dynamically distinct regimes of atmospheric circulation based on their recurrent spatial patterns. Bridging the two parts of this dissertation, we next turn to methodological advances of RA for the study of Palaeoseasonality. Observational series of palaeoclimate 'proxy' records involve inherent limitations, such as irregular temporal sampling. We reveal biases in the RQA of time series with a non-stationary sampling rate and propose a correction scheme. In the second part of this thesis, we proceed with applications in Palaeoseasonality. A review of common and promising time series analysis methods shows that numerous valuable tools exist, but their sound application requires adaptions to archive-specific limitations and consolidating transdisciplinary knowledge. Next, we study stalagmite proxy records from the Central Pacific as sensitive recorders of mid-Holocene El Ni{\~n}o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) dynamics. The records' remarkably high temporal resolution allows to draw links between ENSO and seasonal dynamics, quantified by RA. The final study presented here examines how seasonal predictability could play a role for the stability of agricultural societies. The Classic Maya underwent a period of sociopolitical disintegration that has been linked to drought events. Based on seasonally resolved stable isotope records from Yok Balum cave in Belize, we propose a measure of seasonal predictability. It unveils the potential role declining seasonal predictability could have played in destabilizing agricultural and sociopolitical systems of Classic Maya populations. The methodological approaches and applications presented in this work reveal multiple exciting future research avenues, both for RA and the study of Palaeoseasonality.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Rikani2023, author = {Rikani, Albano}, title = {Modeling global human migration dynamics under climate change}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-58321}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-583212}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {x, 133}, year = {2023}, abstract = {International migration has been an increasing phenomenon during the past decades and has involved all the regions of the globe. Together with fertility and mortality rates, net migration rates represent the components that fully define the demographic evolution of the population in a country. Therefore, being able to capture the patterns of international migration flows and to produce projections of how they might change in the future is of relevant importance for demographic studies and for designing policies informed on the potential scenarios. Existing forecasting methods do not account explicitly for the main drivers and processes shaping international migration flows: existing migrant communities at the destination country, termed diasporas, would reduce the costs of migration and facilitate the settling for new migrants, ultimately producing a positive feedback; accounting for the heterogeneity in the type of migration flows, e.g. return and transit Ćows, becomes critical in some specific bilateral migration channels; in low- to middle- income countries economic development could relax poverty constraint and result in an increase of emigration rates. Economic conditions at both origin and destination are identified as major drivers of international migration. At the same time, climate change impacts have already appeared on natural and human-made systems such as the economic productivity. These economic impacts might have already produced a measurable effect on international migration flows. Studies that provide a quantification of the number of migration moves that might have been affected by climate change are usually specific to small regions, do not provide a mechanistic understanding of the pathway leading from climate change to migration and restrict their focus to the effective induced flows, disregarding the impact that climate change might have had in inhibiting other flows. Global climate change is likely to produce impacts on the economic development of the countries during the next decades too. Understanding how these impacts might alter future global migration patterns is relevant for preparing future societies and understanding whether the response in migration flows would reduce or increase population's exposure to climate change impacts. This doctoral research aims at investigating these questions and fill the research gaps outlined above. First, I have built a global bilateral international migration model which accounts explicitly for the diaspora feedback, distinguishes between transit and return flows, and accounts for the observed non-linear effects that link emigration rates to income levels in the country of origin. I have used this migration model within a population dynamic model where I account also for fertility and mortality rates, producing hindcasts and future projections of international migration flows, covering more than 170 countries. Results show that the model reproduces past patterns and trends well. Future projections highlight the fact that,depending on the assumptions regarding future evolution of income levels and between-country inequality, migration at the end of the century might approach net zero or be still high in many countries. The model, parsimonious in the explanatory variables that includes, represents a versatile tool for assessing the impacts of different socioeconomic scenarios on international migration. I consider then a counterfactual past without climate change impacts on the economic productivity. By prescribing these counterfactual economic conditions to the migration model I produce counterfactual migration flows for the past 30 years. I compare the counterfactual migration flows to factual ones, where historical economic conditions are used to produce migration flows. This provides an estimation of the recent international migration flows attributed to climate change impacts. Results show that a counterfactual world without climate change would have seen less migration globally. This effect becomes larger if I consider separately the increase and decrease in migration moves: a Ągure of net change in the migration flows is not representative of the effective magnitude of the climate change impact on migration. Indeed, in my results climate change produces a divergent effect on richer and poorer countries: by slowing down the economic development, climate change might have reduced international mobility from and to countries of the Global South, and increased it from and to richer countries in the Global North. I apply the same methodology to a scenario of future 3℃ global warming above pre-industrial conditions. I Ąnd that climate change impacts, acting by reorganizing the relative economic attractiveness of destination countries or by affecting the economic growth in the origin, might produce a substantial effect in international migration flows, inhibiting some moves and inducing others. Overall my results suggest that climate change might have had and might have in the future a significant effect on global patterns of international migration. It also emerges clearly that, for a comprehensive understanding of the effects of climate change on international migration, we need to go beyond net effects and consider separately induced and inhibited flows.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Piankova2022, author = {Piankova, Diana}, title = {Electron pair distribution function (ePDF) analysis and advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {XIX, 146}, year = {2022}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Kruse2023, author = {Kruse, Marlen}, title = {Characterization of biomolecules and their interactions using electrically controllable DNA nanolevers}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-57738}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-577384}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {100, xxii}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In this work, binding interactions between biomolecules were analyzed by a technique that is based on electrically controllable DNA nanolevers. The technique was applied to virus-receptor interactions for the first time. As receptors, primarily peptides on DNA nanostructures and antibodies were utilized. The DNA nanostructures were integrated into the measurement technique and enabled the presentation of the peptides in a controllable geometrical order. The number of peptides could be varied to be compatible to the binding sites of the viral surface proteins. Influenza A virus served as a model system, on which the general measurability was demonstrated. Variations of the receptor peptide, the surface ligand density, the measurement temperature and the virus subtypes showed the sensitivity and applicability of the technology. Additionally, the immobilization of virus particles enabled the measurement of differences in oligovalent binding of DNA-peptide nanostructures to the viral proteins in their native environment. When the coronavirus pandemic broke out in 2020, work on binding interactions of a peptide from the hACE2 receptor and the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus revealed that oligovalent binding can be quantified in the switchSENSE technology. It could also be shown that small changes in the amino acid sequence of the spike protein resulted in complete loss of binding. Interactions of the peptide and inactivated virus material as well as pseudo virus particles could be measured. Additionally, the switchSENSE technology was utilized to rank six antibodies for their binding affinity towards the nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2 for the development of a rapid antigen test device. The technique was furthermore employed to show binding of a non-enveloped virus (adenovirus) and a virus-like particle (norovirus-like particle) to antibodies. Apart from binding interactions, the use of DNA origami levers with a length of around 50 nm enabled the switching of virus material. This proved that the technology is also able to size objects with a hydrodynamic diameter larger than 14 nm. A theoretical work on diffusion and reaction-limited binding interactions revealed that the technique and the chosen parameters enable the determination of binding rate constants in the reaction-limited regime. Overall, the applicability of the switchSENSE technique to virus-receptor binding interactions could be demonstrated on multiple examples. While there are challenges that remain, the setup enables the determination of affinities between viruses and receptors in their native environment. Especially the possibilities regarding the quantification of oligo- and multivalent binding interactions could be presented.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Ehlert2023, author = {Ehlert, Kristian}, title = {Simulations of active galactic nuclei feedback with cosmic rays and magnetic fields}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-57816}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-578168}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {155}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The central gas in half of all galaxy clusters shows short cooling times. Assuming unimpeded cooling, this should lead to high star formation and mass cooling rates, which are not observed. Instead, it is believed that condensing gas is accreted by the central black hole that powers an active galactic nuclei jet, which heats the cluster. The detailed heating mechanism remains uncertain. A promising mechanism invokes cosmic ray protons that scatter on self-generated magnetic fluctuations, i.e. Alfv{\´e}n waves. Continuous damping of Alfv{\´e}n waves provides heat to the intracluster medium. Previous work has found steady state solutions for a large sample of clusters where cooling is balanced by Alfv{\´e}nic wave heating. To verify modeling assumptions, we set out to study cosmic ray injection in three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical simulations of jet feedback in an idealized cluster with the moving-mesh code arepo. We analyze the interaction of jet-inflated bubbles with the turbulent magnetized intracluster medium. Furthermore, jet dynamics and heating are closely linked to the largely unconstrained jet composition. Interactions of electrons with photons of the cosmic microwave background result in observational signatures that depend on the bubble content. Those recent observations provided evidence for underdense bubbles with a relativistic filling while adopting simplifying modeling assumptions for the bubbles. By reproducing the observations with our simulations, we confirm the validity of their modeling assumptions and as such, confirm the important finding of low-(momentum) density jets. In addition, the velocity and magnetic field structure of the intracluster medium have profound consequences for bubble evolution and heating processes. As velocity and magnetic fields are physically coupled, we demonstrate that numerical simulations can help link and thereby constrain their respective observables. Finally, we implement the currently preferred accretion model, cold accretion, into the moving-mesh code arepo and study feedback by light jets in a radiatively cooling magnetized cluster. While self-regulation is attained independently of accretion model, jet density and feedback efficiencies, we find that in order to reproduce observed cold gas morphology light jets are preferred.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Stoll2022, author = {Stoll, Andreas}, title = {Advanced spectroscopic instruments enabled by integrated optics}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {97, XV}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The aim of this work is the study of silica Arrayed Waveguide Gratings (AWGs) in the context of applications in astronomy. The specific focus lies on the investigation of the feasibility and technology limits of customized silica AWG devices for high resolution near-infrared spectroscopy. In a series of theoretical and experimental studies, AWG devices of varying geometry, foot-print and spectral resolution are constructed, simulated using a combination of a numerical beam propagation method and Fraunhofer diffraction and fabricated devices are characterized with respect to transmission efficiency, spectral resolution and polarization sensitivity. The impact of effective index non-uniformities on the performance of high-resolution AWG devices is studied numerically. Characterization results of fabricated devices are used to extrapolate the technology limits of the silica platform. The important issues of waveguide birefringence and defocus aberration are discussed theoretically and addressed experimentally by selection of an appropriate aberration-minimizing anastigmatic AWG layout structure. The drawbacks of the anastigmatic AWG geometry are discussed theoretically. From the results of the experimental studies, it is concluded that fabrication-related phase errors and waveguide birefringence are the primary limiting factors for the growth of AWG spectral resolution. It is shown that, without post-processing, the spectral resolving power is phase-error-limited to R < 40, 000 and, in the case of unpolarized light, birefringence-limited to R < 30, 000 in the AWG devices presented in this work. Necessary measures, such as special waveguide geometries and post-fabrication phase error correction are proposed for future designs. The elimination of defocus aberration using an anastigmatic AWG geometry is successfully demonstrated in experiment. Finally, a novel, non-planar dispersive in-fibre waveguide structure is proposed, discussed and studied theoretically.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Mayer2022, author = {Mayer, Dennis}, title = {Time-resolved x-ray spectroscopy of 2-thiouracil}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-57163}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-571636}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xiv, 169}, year = {2022}, abstract = {In this thesis, I present my contributions to the field of ultrafast molecular spectroscopy. Using the molecule 2-thiouracil as an example, I use ultrashort x-ray pulses from free- electron lasers to study the relaxation dynamics of gas-phase molecular samples. Taking advantage of the x-ray typical element- and site-selectivity, I investigate the charge flow and geometrical changes in the excited states of 2-thiouracil. In order to understand the photoinduced dynamics of molecules, knowledge about the ground-state structure and the relaxation after photoexcitation is crucial. Therefore, a part of this thesis covers the electronic ground-state spectroscopy of mainly 2-thiouracil to provide the basis for the time-resolved experiments. Many of the previously published studies that focused on the gas-phase time-resolved dynamics of thionated uracils after UV excitation relied on information from solution phase spectroscopy to determine the excitation energies. This is not an optimal strategy as solvents alter the absorption spec- trum and, hence, there is no guarantee that liquid-phase spectra resemble the gas-phase spectra. Therefore, I measured the UV-absorption spectra of all three thionated uracils to provide a gas-phase reference and, in combination with calculations, we determined the excited states involved in the transitions. In contrast to the UV absorption, the literature on the x-ray spectroscopy of thionated uracil is sparse. Thus, we measured static photoelectron, Auger-Meitner and x-ray absorption spectra on the sulfur L edge before or parallel to the time-resolved experiments we performed at FLASH (DESY, Hamburg). In addition, (so far unpublished) measurements were performed at the synchrotron SOLEIL (France) which have been included in this thesis and show the spin-orbit splitting of the S 2p photoline and its satellite which was not observed at the free-electron laser. The relaxation of 2-thiouracil has been studied extensively in recent years with ultrafast visible and ultraviolet methods showing the ultrafast nature of the molecular process after photoexcitation. Ultrafast spectroscopy probing the core-level electrons provides a complementary approach to common optical ultrafast techniques. The method inherits its local sensitivity from the strongly localised core electrons. The core energies and core-valence transitions are strongly affected by local valence charge and geometry changes, and past studies have utilised this sensitivity to investigate the molecular process reflected by the ultrafast dynamics. We have built an apparatus that provides the requirements to perform time-resolved x-ray spectroscopy on molecules in the gas phase. With the apparatus, we performed UV-pump x-ray-probe electron spectroscopy on the S 2p edge of 2-thiouracil using the free-electron laser FLASH2. While the UV triggers the relaxation dynamics, the x-ray probes the single sulfur atom inside the molecule. I implemented photoline self-referencing for the photoelectron spectral analysis. This minimises the spectral jitter of the FEL, which is due to the underlying self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) process. With this approach, we were not only able to study dynamical changes in the binding energy of the electrons but also to detect an oscillatory behaviour in the shift of the observed photoline, which we associate with non-adiabatic dynamics involving several electronic states. Moreover, we were able to link the UV-induced shift in binding energy to the local charge flow at the sulfur which is directly connected to the electronic state. Furthermore, the analysis of the Auger-Meitner electrons shows that energy shifts observed at early stages of the photoinduced relaxation are related to the geometry change in the molecule. More specifically, the observed increase in kinetic energy of the Auger-Meitner electrons correlates with a previously predicted C=S bond stretch.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Antonelli2021, author = {Antonelli, Andrea}, title = {Accurate waveform models for gravitational-wave astrophysics: synergetic approaches from analytical relativity}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-57667}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-576671}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {XII, 259, LXXV}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Gravitational-wave (GW) astrophysics is a field in full blossom. Since the landmark detection of GWs from a binary black hole on September 14th 2015, fifty-two compact-object binaries have been reported by the LIGO-Virgo collaboration. Such events carry astrophysical and cosmological information ranging from an understanding of how black holes and neutron stars are formed, what neutron stars are composed of, how the Universe expands, and allow testing general relativity in the highly-dynamical strong-field regime. It is the goal of GW astrophysics to extract such information as accurately as possible. Yet, this is only possible if the tools and technology used to detect and analyze GWs are advanced enough. A key aspect of GW searches are waveform models, which encapsulate our best predictions for the gravitational radiation under a certain set of parameters, and that need to be cross-correlated with data to extract GW signals. Waveforms must be very accurate to avoid missing important physics in the data, which might be the key to answer the fundamental questions of GW astrophysics. The continuous improvements of the current LIGO-Virgo detectors, the development of next-generation ground-based detectors such as the Einstein Telescope or the Cosmic Explorer, as well as the development of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), demand accurate waveform models. While available models are enough to capture the low spins, comparable-mass binaries routinely detected in LIGO-Virgo searches, those for sources from both current and next-generation ground-based and spaceborne detectors must be accurate enough to detect binaries with large spins and asymmetry in the masses. Moreover, the thousands of sources that we expect to detect with future detectors demand accurate waveforms to mitigate biases in the estimation of signals' parameters due to the presence of a foreground of many sources that overlap in the frequency band. This is recognized as one of the biggest challenges for the analysis of future-detectors' data, since biases might hinder the extraction of important astrophysical and cosmological information from future detectors' data. In the first part of this thesis, we discuss how to improve waveform models for binaries with high spins and asymmetry in the masses. In the second, we present the first generic metrics that have been proposed to predict biases in the presence of a foreground of many overlapping signals in GW data. For the first task, we will focus on several classes of analytical techniques. Current models for LIGO and Virgo studies are based on the post-Newtonian (PN, weak-field, small velocities) approximation that is most natural for the bound orbits that are routinely detected in GW searches. However, two other approximations have risen in prominence, the post-Minkowskian (PM, weak- field only) approximation natural for unbound (scattering) orbits and the small-mass-ratio (SMR) approximation typical of binaries in which the mass of one body is much bigger than the other. These are most appropriate to binaries with high asymmetry in the masses that challenge current waveform models. Moreover, they allow one to "cover" regions of the parameter space of coalescing binaries, thereby improving the interpolation (and faithfulness) of waveform models. The analytical approximations to the relativistic two-body problem can synergically be included within the effective-one-body (EOB) formalism, in which the two-body information from each approximation can be recast into an effective problem of a mass orbiting a deformed Schwarzschild (or Kerr) black hole. The hope is that the resultant models can cover both the low-spin comparable-mass binaries that are routinely detected, and the ones that challenge current models. The first part of this thesis is dedicated to a study about how to best incorporate information from the PN, PM, SMR and EOB approaches in a synergistic way. We also discuss how accurate the resulting waveforms are, as compared against numerical-relativity (NR) simulations. We begin by comparing PM models, whether alone or recast in the EOB framework, against PN models and NR simulations. We will show that PM information has the potential to improve currently-employed models for LIGO and Virgo, especially if recast within the EOB formalism. This is very important, as the PM approximation comes with a host of new computational techniques from particle physics to exploit. Then, we show how a combination of PM and SMR approximations can be employed to access previously-unknown PN orders, deriving the third subleading PN dynamics for spin-orbit and (aligned) spin1-spin2 couplings. Such new results can then be included in the EOB models currently used in GW searches and parameter estimation studies, thereby improving them when the binaries have high spins. Finally, we build an EOB model for quasi-circular nonspinning binaries based on the SMR approximation (rather than the PN one as usually done). We show how this is done in detail without incurring in the divergences that had affected previous attempts, and compare the resultant model against NR simulations. We find that the SMR approximation is an excellent approximation for all (quasi-circular nonspinning) binaries, including both the equal-mass binaries that are routinely detected in GW searches and the ones with highly asymmetric masses. In particular, the SMR-based models compare much better than the PN models, suggesting that SMR-informed EOB models might be the key to model binaries in the future. In the second task of this thesis, we work within the linear-signal ap- proximation and describe generic metrics to predict inference biases on the parameters of a GW source of interest in the presence of confusion noise from unfitted foregrounds and from residuals of other signals that have been incorrectly fitted out. We illustrate the formalism with simple (yet realistic) LISA sources, and demonstrate its validity against Monte-Carlo simulations. The metrics we describe pave the way for more realistic studies to quantify the biases with future ground-based and spaceborne detectors.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Giuri2023, author = {Giuri, Chiara}, title = {VERITAS Dark Matter search in dwarf spheroidal galaxies: an extended analysis}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-57586}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-575869}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xxiv, 227}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In the last century, several astronomical measurements have supported that a significant percentage (about 22\%) of the total mass of the Universe, on galactic and extragalactic scales, is composed of a mysterious "dark" matter (DM). DM does not interact with the electromagnetic force; in other words it does not reflect, absorb or emit light. It is possible that DM particles are weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) that can annihilate (or decay) into Standard Model (SM) particles, and modern very- high-energy (VHE; > 100 GeV) instruments such as imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) can play an important role in constraining the main properties of such DM particles, by detecting these products. One of the most privileged targets where to look for DM signal are dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs), as they are expected to be high DM-dominated objects with a clean, gas-free environment. Some dSphs could be considered as extended sources, considering the angular resolution of IACTs; their angu- lar resolution is adequate to detect extended emission from dSphs. For this reason, we performed an extended-source analysis, by taking into account in the unbinned maximum likelihood estimation both the energy and the angular extension dependency of observed events. The goal was to set more constrained upper limits on the velocity-averaged cross-section annihilation of WIMPs with VERITAS data. VERITAS is an array of four IACTs, able to detect γ-ray photons ranging between 100 GeV and 30 TeV. The results of this extended analysis were compared against the traditional spectral analysis. We found that a 2D analysis may lead to more constrained results, depending on the DM mass, channel, and source. Moreover, in this thesis, the results of a multi-instrument project are presented too. Its goal was to combine already published 20 dSphs data from five different experiments, such as Fermi-LAT, MAGIC, H.E.S.S., VERITAS and HAWC, in order to set upper limits on the WIMP annihilation cross-section in the widest mass range ever reported.}, language = {en} }