@article{AbdoAckermannAjelloetal.2011, author = {Abdo, A. A. and Ackermann, Margit and Ajello, M. and Allafort, A. J. and Baldini, L. and Ballet, J. and Barbiellini, G. and Baring, M. G. and Bastieri, D. and Bechtol, K. C. and Bellazzini, R. and Berenji, B. and Blandford, R. D. and Bloom, E. D. and Bonamente, E. and Borgland, A. W. and Bouvier, A. and Brandt, T. J. and Bregeon, Johan and Brez, A. and Brigida, M. and Bruel, P. and Buehler, R. and Buson, S. and Caliandro, G. A. and Cameron, R. A. and Cannon, A. and Caraveo, P. A. and Carrigan, Svenja and Casandjian, J. M. and Cavazzuti, E. and Cecchi, C. and Celik, O. and Charles, E. and Chekhtman, A. and Cheung, C. C. and Chiang, J. and Ciprini, S. and Claus, R. and Cohen-Tanugi, J. and Conrad, Jan and Cutini, S. and Dermer, C. D. and de Palma, F. and do Couto e Silva, E. and Drell, P. S. and Dubois, R. and Dumora, D. and Favuzzi, C. and Fegan, S. J. and Ferrara, E. C. and Focke, W. B. and Fortin, P. and Frailis, M. and Fuhrmann, L. and Fukazawa, Y. and Funk, S. and Fusco, P. and Gargano, F. and Gasparrini, D. and Gehrels, N. and Germani, S. and Giglietto, N. and Giordano, F. and Giroletti, M. and Glanzman, T. and Godfrey, G. and Grenier, I. A. and Guillemot, L. and Guiriec, S. and Hayashida, M. and Hays, E. and Horan, D. and Hughes, R. E. and Johannesson, G. and Johnson, A. S. and Johnson, W. N. and Kadler, M. and Kamae, T. and Katagiri, H. and Kataoka, J. and Knoedlseder, J. and Kuss, M. and Lande, J. and Latronico, L. and Lee, S. -H. and Lemoine-Goumard, M. and Longo, F. and Loparco, F. and Lott, B. and Lovellette, M. N. and Lubrano, P. and Madejski, G. M. and Makeev, A. and Max-Moerbeck, W. and Mazziotta, Mario Nicola and McEnery, J. E. and Mehault, J. and Michelson, P. F. and Mitthumsiri, W. and Mizuno, T. and Moiseev, A. A. and Monte, C. and Monzani, M. E. and Morselli, A. and Moskalenko, I. V. and Murgia, S. and Naumann-Godo, M. and Nishino, S. and Nolan, P. L. and Norris, J. P. and Nuss, E. and Ohsugi, T. and Okumura, A. and Omodei, N. and Orlando, E. and Ormes, J. F. and Paneque, D. and Panetta, J. H. and Parent, D. and Pavlidou, V. and Pearson, T. J. and Pelassa, V. and Pepe, M. and Pesce-Rollins, M. and Piron, F. and Porter, T. A. and Raino, S. and Rando, R. and Razzano, M. and Readhead, A. and Reimer, A. and Reimer, O. and Richards, J. L. and Ripken, J. and Ritz, S. and Roth, M. and Sadrozinski, H. F. -W. and Sanchez, D. and Sander, A. and Scargle, J. D. and Sgro, C. and Siskind, E. J. and Smith, P. D. and Spandre, G. and Spinelli, P. and Stawarz, L. and Stevenson, M. and Strickman, M. S. and Sokolovsky, K. V. and Suson, D. J. and Takahashi, H. and Takahashi, T. and Tanaka, T. and Thayer, J. B. and Thayer, J. G. and Thompson, D. J. and Tibaldo, L. and Torres, F. and Tosti, G. and Tramacere, A. and Uchiyama, Y. and Usher, T. L. and Vandenbroucke, J. and Vasileiou, V. and Vilchez, N. and Vitale, V. and Waite, A. P. and Wang, P. and Wehrle, A. E. and Winer, B. L. and Wood, K. S. and Yang, Z. and Ylinen, T. and Zensus, J. A. and Ziegler, M. and Aleksic, J. and Antonelli, L. A. and Antoranz, P. and Backes, Michael and Barrio, J. A. and Gonzalez, J. Becerra and Bednarek, W. and Berdyugin, A. and Berger, K. and Bernardini, E. and Biland, A. and Blanch Bigas, O. and Bock, R. K. and Boller, A. and Bonnoli, G. and Bordas, Pol and Tridon, D. Borla and Bosch-Ramon, Valentin and Bose, D. and Braun, I. and Bretz, T. and Camara, M. and Carmona, E. and Carosi, A. and Colin, P. and Colombo, E. and Contreras, J. L. and Cortina, J. and Covino, S. and Dazzi, F. and de Angelis, A. and del Pozo, E. De Cea and De Lotto, B. and De Maria, M. and De Sabata, F. and Mendez, C. Delgado and Ortega, A. Diago and Doert, M. and Dominguez, A. and Prester, Dijana Dominis and Dorner, D. and Doro, M. and Elsaesser, D. and Ferenc, D. and Fonseca, M. V. and Font, L. and Lopen, R. J. Garcia and Garczarczyk, M. and Gaug, M. and Giavitto, G. and Godinovi, N. and Hadasch, D. and Herrero, A. and Hildebrand, D. and Hoehne-Moench, D. and Hose, J. and Hrupec, D. and Jogler, T. and Klepser, S. and Kraehenbuehl, T. and Kranich, D. and Krause, J. and La Barbera, A. and Leonardo, E. and Lindfors, E. and Lombardi, S. and Lopez, M. and Lorenz, E. and Majumdar, P. and Makariev, E. and Maneva, G. and Mankuzhiyil, N. and Mannheim, K. and Maraschi, L. and Mariotti, M. and Martinez, M. and Mazin, D. and Meucci, M. and Miranda, J. M. and Mirzoyan, R. and Miyamoto, H. and Moldon, J. and Moralejo, A. and Nieto, D. and Nilsson, K. and Orito, R. and Oya, I. and Paoletti, R. and Paredes, J. M. and Partini, S. and Pasanen, M. and Pauss, F. and Pegna, R. G. and Perez-Torres, M. A. and Persic, M. and Peruzzo, J. and Pochon, J. and Moroni, P. G. Prada and Prada, F. and Prandini, E. and Puchades, N. and Puljak, I. and Reichardt, T. and Reinthal, R. and Rhode, W. and Ribo, M. and Rico, J. and Rissi, M. and Ruegamer, S. and Saggion, A. and Saito, K. and Saito, T. Y. and Salvati, M. and Sanchez-Conde, M. and Satalecka, K. and Scalzotto, V. and Scapin, V. and Schultz, C. and Schweizer, T. and Shayduk, M. and Shore, S. N. and Sierpowska-Bartosik, A. and Sillanpaa, A. and Sitarek, J. and Sobczynska, D. and Spanier, F. and Spiro, S. and Stamerra, A. and Steinke, B. and Storz, J. and Strah, N. and Struebig, J. C. and Suric, T. and Takalo, L. O. and Tavecchio, F. and Temnikov, P. and Terzic, T. and Tescaro, D. and Teshima, M. and Vankov, H. and Wagner, R. M. and Weitzel, Q. and Zabalza, V. and Zandanel, F. and Zanin, R. and Acciari, V. A. and Arlen, T. and Aune, T. and Benbow, W. and Boltuch, D. and Bradbury, S. M. and Buckley, J. H. and Bugaev, V. and Cannon, A. and Cesarini, A. and Ciupik, L. and Cui, W. and Dickherber, R. and Errando, M. and Falcone, A. and Finley, J. P. and Finnegan, G. and Fortson, L. and Furniss, A. and Galante, N. and Gall, D. and Gillanders, G. H. and Godambe, S. and Grube, J. and Guenette, R. and Gyuk, G. and Hanna, D. and Holder, J. and Huang, D. and Hui, C. M. and Humensky, T. B. and Kaaret, P. and Karlsson, N. and Kertzman, M. and Kieda, D. and Konopelko, A. and Krawczynski, H. and Krennrich, F. and Lang, M. J. and Maier, G. and McArthur, S. and McCann, A. and McCutcheon, M. and Moriarty, P. and Mukherjee, R. and Ong, R. and Otte, N. and Pandel, D. and Perkins, J. S. and Pichel, A. and Pohl, M. and Quinn, J. and Ragan, K. and Reyes, L. C. and Reynolds, P. T. and Roache, E. and Rose, H. J. and Rovero, A. C. and Schroedter, M. and Sembroski, G. H. and Senturk, G. D. and Steele, D. and Swordy, S. P. and Tesic, G. and Theiling, M. and Thibadeau, S. and Varlotta, A. and Vincent, S. and Wakely, S. P. and Ward, J. E. and Weekes, T. C. and Weinstein, A. and Weisgarber, T. and Williams, D. A. and Wood, M. and Zitzer, B. and Villata, M. and Raiteri, C. M. and Aller, H. D. and Aller, M. F. and Arkharov, A. A. and Blinov, D. A. and Calcidese, P. and Chen, W. P. and Efimova, N. V. and Kimeridze, G. and Konstantinova, T. S. and Kopatskaya, E. N. and Koptelova, E. and Kurtanidze, O. M. and Kurtanidze, S. O. and Lahteenmaki, A. and Larionov, V. M. and Larionova, E. G. and Larionova, L. V. and Ligustri, R. and Morozova, D. A. and Nikolashvili, M. G. and Sigua, L. A. and Troitsky, I. S. and Angelakis, E. and Capalbi, M. and Carraminana, A. and Carrasco, L. and Cassaro, P. and de la Fuente, E. and Gurwell, M. A. and Kovalev, Y. Y. and Kovalev, Yu. A. and Krichbaum, T. P. and Krimm, H. A. and Leto, Paolo and Lister, M. L. and Maccaferri, G. and Moody, J. W. and Mori, Y. and Nestoras, I. and Orlati, A. and Pagani, C. and Pace, C. and Pearson, R. and Perri, M. and Piner, B. G. and Pushkarev, A. B. and Ros, E. and Sadun, A. C. and Sakamoto, T. and Tornikoski, M. and Yatsu, Y. and Zook, A.}, title = {Insights into the high-energy gamma-Ray emission of markarian 501 fromextensive multifrequency observations in the fermi era}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {727}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {2}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, organization = {Fermi-LAT Collaboration, MAGIC Collaboration, VERITAS Collaboration}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/727/2/129}, pages = {26}, year = {2011}, abstract = {We report on the gamma-ray activity of the blazar Mrk 501 during the first 480 days of Fermi operation. We find that the average Large Area Telescope (LAT) gamma-ray spectrum of Mrk 501 can be well described by a single power-law function with a photon index of 1.78 +/- 0.03. While we observe relatively mild flux variations with the Fermi-LAT (within less than a factor of two), we detect remarkable spectral variability where the hardest observed spectral index within the LAT energy range is 1.52 +/- 0.14, and the softest one is 2.51 +/- 0.20. These unexpected spectral changes do not correlate with the measured flux variations above 0.3 GeV. In this paper, we also present the first results from the 4.5 month long multifrequency campaign (2009 March 15-August 1) on Mrk 501, which included the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), Swift, RXTE, MAGIC, and VERITAS, the F-GAMMA, GASP-WEBT, and other collaborations and instruments which provided excellent temporal and energy coverage of the source throughout the entire campaign. The extensive radio to TeV data set from this campaign provides us with the most detailed spectral energy distribution yet collected for this source during its relatively low activity. The average spectral energy distribution of Mrk 501 is well described by the standard one-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model. In the framework of this model, we find that the dominant emission region is characterized by a size less than or similar to 0.1 pc (comparable within a factor of few to the size of the partially resolved VLBA core at 15-43 GHz), and that the total jet power (similar or equal to 10(44) erg s(-1)) constitutes only a small fraction (similar to 10(-3)) of the Eddington luminosity. The energy distribution of the freshly accelerated radiating electrons required to fit the time-averaged data has a broken power-law form in the energy range 0.3 GeV-10 TeV, with spectral indices 2.2 and 2.7 below and above the break energy of 20 GeV. We argue that such a form is consistent with a scenario in which the bulk of the energy dissipation within the dominant emission zone of Mrk 501 is due to relativistic, proton-mediated shocks. We find that the ultrarelativistic electrons and mildly relativistic protons within the blazar zone, if comparable in number, are in approximate energy equipartition, with their energy dominating the jet magnetic field energy by about two orders of magnitude.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Schulze2011, author = {Schulze, Andreas}, title = {Demographics of supermassive black holes}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-54464}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Supermassive black holes are a fundamental component of the universe in general and of galaxies in particular. Almost every massive galaxy harbours a supermassive black hole (SMBH) in its center. Furthermore, there is a close connection between the growth of the SMBH and the evolution of its host galaxy, manifested in the relationship between the mass of the black hole and various properties of the galaxy's spheroid component, like its stellar velocity dispersion, luminosity or mass. Understanding this relationship and the growth of SMBHs is essential for our picture of galaxy formation and evolution. In this thesis, I make several contributions to improve our knowledge on the census of SMBHs and on the coevolution of black holes and galaxies. The first route I follow on this road is to obtain a complete census of the black hole population and its properties. Here, I focus particularly on active black holes, observable as Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) or quasars. These are found in large surveys of the sky. In this thesis, I use one of these surveys, the Hamburg/ESO survey (HES), to study the AGN population in the local volume (z~0). The demographics of AGN are traditionally represented by the AGN luminosity function, the distribution function of AGN at a given luminosity. I determined the local (z<0.3) optical luminosity function of so-called type 1 AGN, based on the broad band B_J magnitudes and AGN broad Halpha emission line luminosities, free of contamination from the host galaxy. I combined this result with fainter data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and constructed the best current optical AGN luminosity function at z~0. The comparison of the luminosity function with higher redshifts supports the current notion of 'AGN downsizing', i.e. the space density of the most luminous AGN peaks at higher redshifts and the space density of less luminous AGN peaks at lower redshifts. However, the AGN luminosity function does not reveal the full picture of active black hole demographics. This requires knowledge of the physical quantities, foremost the black hole mass and the accretion rate of the black hole, and the respective distribution functions, the active black hole mass function and the Eddington ratio distribution function. I developed a method for an unbiased estimate of these two distribution functions, employing a maximum likelihood technique and fully account for the selection function. I used this method to determine the active black hole mass function and the Eddington ratio distribution function for the local universe from the HES. I found a wide intrinsic distribution of black hole accretion rates and black hole masses. The comparison of the local active black hole mass function with the local total black hole mass function reveals evidence for 'AGN downsizing', in the sense that in the local universe the most massive black holes are in a less active stage then lower mass black holes. The second route I follow is a study of redshift evolution in the black hole-galaxy relations. While theoretical models can in general explain the existence of these relations, their redshift evolution puts strong constraints on these models. Observational studies on the black hole-galaxy relations naturally suffer from selection effects. These can potentially bias the conclusions inferred from the observations, if they are not taken into account. I investigated the issue of selection effects on type 1 AGN samples in detail and discuss various sources of bias, e.g. an AGN luminosity bias, an active fraction bias and an AGN evolution bias. If the selection function of the observational sample and the underlying distribution functions are known, it is possible to correct for this bias. I present a fitting method to obtain an unbiased estimate of the intrinsic black hole-galaxy relations from samples that are affected by selection effects. Third, I try to improve our census of dormant black holes and the determination of their masses. One of the most important techniques to determine the black hole mass in quiescent galaxies is via stellar dynamical modeling. This method employs photometric and kinematic observations of the galaxy and infers the gravitational potential from the stellar orbits. This method can reveal the presence of the black hole and give its mass, if the sphere of the black hole's gravitational influence is spatially resolved. However, usually the presence of a dark matter halo is ignored in the dynamical modeling, potentially causing a bias on the determined black hole mass. I ran dynamical models for a sample of 12 galaxies, including a dark matter halo. For galaxies for which the black hole's sphere of influence is not well resolved, I found that the black hole mass is systematically underestimated when the dark matter halo is ignored, while there is almost no effect for galaxies with well resolved sphere of influence.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Avila2011, author = {Avila, Gast{\´o}n}, title = {Asymptotic staticity and tensor decompositions with fast decay conditions}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-54046}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Corvino, Corvino and Schoen, Chruściel and Delay have shown the existence of a large class of asymptotically flat vacuum initial data for Einstein's field equations which are static or stationary in a neighborhood of space-like infinity, yet quite general in the interior. The proof relies on some abstract, non-constructive arguments which makes it difficult to calculate such data numerically by using similar arguments. A quasilinear elliptic system of equations is presented of which we expect that it can be used to construct vacuum initial data which are asymptotically flat, time-reflection symmetric, and asymptotic to static data up to a prescribed order at space-like infinity. A perturbation argument is used to show the existence of solutions. It is valid when the order at which the solutions approach staticity is restricted to a certain range. Difficulties appear when trying to improve this result to show the existence of solutions that are asymptotically static at higher order. The problems arise from the lack of surjectivity of a certain operator. Some tensor decompositions in asymptotically flat manifolds exhibit some of the difficulties encountered above. The Helmholtz decomposition, which plays a role in the preparation of initial data for the Maxwell equations, is discussed as a model problem. A method to circumvent the difficulties that arise when fast decay rates are required is discussed. This is done in a way that opens the possibility to perform numerical computations. The insights from the analysis of the Helmholtz decomposition are applied to the York decomposition, which is related to that part of the quasilinear system which gives rise to the difficulties. For this decomposition analogous results are obtained. It turns out, however, that in this case the presence of symmetries of the underlying metric leads to certain complications. The question, whether the results obtained so far can be used again to show by a perturbation argument the existence of vacuum initial data which approach static solutions at infinity at any given order, thus remains open. The answer requires further analysis and perhaps new methods.}, language = {en} } @misc{Winkler2011, type = {Master Thesis}, author = {Winkler, Michael}, title = {Thinning and turbulence in aqueous films}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-53107}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {This thesis covers the topic "Thinning and Turbulence in Aqueous Films". Experimental studies in two-dimensional systems gained an increasing amount of attention during the last decade. Thin liquid films serve as paradigms of atmospheric convection, thermal convection in the Earth's mantle or turbulence in magnetohydrodynamics. Recent research on colloids, interfaces and nanofluids lead to advances in the developtment of micro-mixers (lab-on-a-chip devices). In this project a detailed description of a thin film experiment with focus on the particular surface forces is presented. The impact of turbulence on the thinning of liquid films which are oriented parallel to the gravitational force is studied. An experimental setup was developed which permits the capturing of thin film interference patterns under controlled surface and atmospheric conditions. The measurement setup also serves as a prototype of a mixer on the basis of thermally induced turbulence in liquid thin films with thicknesses in the nanometer range. The convection is realized by placing a cooled copper rod in the center of the film. The temperature gradient between the rod and the atmosphere results in a density gradient in the liquid film, so that different buoyancies generate turbulence. In the work at hand the thermally driven convection is characterized by a newly developed algorithm, named Cluster Imaging Velocimetry (CIV). This routine determines the flow relevant vector fields (velocity and deformation). On the basis of these insights the flow in the experiment was investigated with respect to its mixing properties. The mixing characteristics were compared to theoretical models and mixing efficiency of the flow scheme calculated. The gravitationally driven thinning of the liquid film was analyzed under the influence of turbulence. Strong shear forces lead to the generation of ultra-thin domains which consist of Newton black film. Due to the exponential expansion of the thin areas and the efficient mixing, this two-phase flow rapidly turns into the convection of only ultra-thin film. This turbulence driven transition was observed and quantified for the first time. The existence of stable convection in liquid nanofilms was proven for the first time in the context of this work.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Malik2011, author = {Malik, Nishant}, title = {Extremes in events and dynamics : a nonlinear data analysis perspective on the past and present dynamics of the Indian summer monsoon}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-58016}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {To identify extreme changes in the dynamics of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) in the past, I propose a new approach based on the quantification of fluctuations of a nonlinear similarity measure, to identify regimes of distinct dynamical complexity in short time series. I provide an analytical derivation for the relationship of the new measure with the dynamical invariants such as dimension and Lyapunov exponents of the underlying system. A statistical test is also developed to estimate the significance of the identified transitions. Our method is justified by uncovering bifurcation structures in several paradigmatic models, providing more complex transitions compared with traditional Lyapunov exponents. In a real world situation, we apply the method to identify millennial-scale dynamical transitions in Pleistocene proxy records of the south Asian summer monsoon system. We infer that many of these transitions are induced by the external forcing of solar insolation and are also affected by internal forcing on Monsoonal dynamics, i.e., the glaciation cycles of the Northern Hemisphere and the onset of the tropical Walker circulation. Although this new method has general applicability, it is particularly useful in analysing short palaeo-climate records. Rainfall during the ISM over the Indian subcontinent occurs in form of enormously complex spatiotemporal patterns due to the underlying dynamics of atmospheric circulation and varying topography. I present a detailed analysis of summer monsoon rainfall over the Indian peninsular using Event Synchronization (ES), a measure of nonlinear correlation for point processes such as rainfall. First, using hierarchical clustering I identify principle regions where the dynamics of monsoonal rainfall is more coherent or homogenous. I also provide a method to reconstruct the time delay patterns of rain events. Moreover, further analysis is carried out employing the tools of complex network theory. This study provides valuable insights into the spatial organization, scales, and structure of the 90th and 94th percentile rainfall events during the ISM (June to September). I furthermore analyse the influence of different critical synoptic atmospheric systems and the impact of the steep Himalayan topography on rainfall patterns. The presented method not only helps in visualising the structure of the extremeevent rainfall fields, but also identifies the water vapor pathways and decadal-scale moisture sinks over the region. Furthermore a simple scheme based on complex networks is presented to decipher the spatial intricacies and temporal evolution of monsoonal rainfall patterns over the last six decades. Some supplementary results on the evolution of monsoonal rainfall extremes over the last sixty years are also presented.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Kellermann2011, author = {Kellermann, Thorsten}, title = {Accurate numerical relativity simulations of non-vacuumspace-times in two dimensions and applications to critical collapse}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-59578}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {This Thesis puts its focus on the physics of neutron stars and its description with methods of numerical relativity. In the first step, a new numerical framework the Whisky2D code will be developed, which solves the relativistic equations of hydrodynamics in axisymmetry. Therefore we consider an improved formulation of the conserved form of these equations. The second part will use the new code to investigate the critical behaviour of two colliding neutron stars. Considering the analogy to phase transitions in statistical physics, we will investigate the evolution of the entropy of the neutron stars during the whole process. A better understanding of the evolution of thermodynamical quantities, like the entropy in critical process, should provide deeper understanding of thermodynamics in relativity. More specifically, we have written the Whisky2D code, which solves the general-relativistic hydrodynamics equations in a flux-conservative form and in cylindrical coordinates. This of course brings in 1/r singular terms, where r is the radial cylindrical coordinate, which must be dealt with appropriately. In the above-referenced works, the flux operator is expanded and the 1/r terms, not containing derivatives, are moved to the right-hand-side of the equation (the source term), so that the left hand side assumes a form identical to the one of the three-dimensional (3D) Cartesian formulation. We call this the standard formulation. Another possibility is not to split the flux operator and to redefine the conserved variables, via a multiplication by r. We call this the new formulation. The new equations are solved with the same methods as in the Cartesian case. From a mathematical point of view, one would not expect differences between the two ways of writing the differential operator, but, of course, a difference is present at the numerical level. Our tests show that the new formulation yields results with a global truncation error which is one or more orders of magnitude smaller than those of alternative and commonly used formulations. The second part of the Thesis uses the new code for investigations of critical phenomena in general relativity. In particular, we consider the head-on-collision of two neutron stars in a region of the parameter space where two final states a new stable neutron star or a black hole, lay close to each other. In 1993, Choptuik considered one-parameter families of solutions, S[P], of the Einstein-Klein-Gordon equations for a massless scalar field in spherical symmetry, such that for every P > P⋆, S[P] contains a black hole and for every P < P⋆, S[P] is a solution not containing singularities. He studied numerically the behavior of S[P] as P → P⋆ and found that the critical solution, S[P⋆], is universal, in the sense that it is approached by all nearly-critical solutions regardless of the particular family of initial data considered. All these phenomena have the common property that, as P approaches P⋆, S[P] approaches a universal solution S[P⋆] and that all the physical quantities of S[P] depend only on |P - P⋆|. The first study of critical phenomena concerning the head-on collision of NSs was carried out by Jin and Suen in 2007. In particular, they considered a series of families of equal-mass NSs, modeled with an ideal-gas EOS, boosted towards each other and varied the mass of the stars, their separation, velocity and the polytropic index in the EOS. In this way they could observe a critical phenomenon of type I near the threshold of black-hole formation, with the putative solution being a nonlinearly oscillating star. In a successive work, they performed similar simulations but considering the head-on collision of Gaussian distributions of matter. Also in this case they found the appearance of type-I critical behaviour, but also performed a perturbative analysis of the initial distributions of matter and of the merged object. Because of the considerable difference found in the eigenfrequencies in the two cases, they concluded that the critical solution does not represent a system near equilibrium and in particular not a perturbed Tolmann-Oppenheimer-Volkoff (TOV) solution. In this Thesis we study the dynamics of the head-on collision of two equal-mass NSs using a setup which is as similar as possible to the one considered above. While we confirm that the merged object exhibits a type-I critical behaviour, we also argue against the conclusion that the critical solution cannot be described in terms of equilibrium solution. Indeed, we show that, in analogy with what is found in, the critical solution is effectively a perturbed unstable solution of the TOV equations. Our analysis also considers fine-structure of the scaling relation of type-I critical phenomena and we show that it exhibits oscillations in a similar way to the one studied in the context of scalar-field critical collapse.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Seewald2011, author = {Seewald, Gunter}, title = {Lineare und nichtlineare optische Untersuchungen am synthetischen Eumelanin und Entwicklung eines Kaskadenmodells}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-59967}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Eumelanin ist ein Fluorophor mit teilweise recht ungew{\"o}hnlichen spektralen Eigenschaften. Unter anderem konnten in fr{\"u}heren Ver{\"o}ffentlichungen Unterschiede zwischen dem 1- und 2-photonen-angeregtem Fluoreszenzspektrum beobachtet werden, weshalb im nichtlinearen Anregungsfall ein schrittweiser Anregungsprozess vermutet wurde. Um diese und weitere optische Eigenschaften des Eumelanins besser zu verstehen, wurden in der vorliegenden Arbeit vielf{\"a}ltige messmethodische Ans{\"a}tze der linearen und nichtlinearen Optik an synthetischem Eumelanin in 0,1M NaOH verfolgt. Aus den Ergebnissen wurde ein Modell abgeleitet, welches die beobachteten photonischen Eigenschaften konsistent beschreibt. In diesem kaskadierten Zustandsmodell (Kaskaden-Modell) wird die aufgenommene Photonenenergie schrittweise von Anregungszust{\"a}nden hoher {\"U}bergangsenergien zu Anregungszust{\"a}nden niedrigerer {\"U}bergangsenergien transferiert. Messungen der transienten Absorption ergaben dominante Anteile mit kurzen Lebensdauern im ps-Bereich und ließen damit auf eine hohe Relaxationsgeschwindigkeit entlang der Kaskade schließen. Durch Untersuchung der nichtlinear angeregten Fluoreszenz von verschieden großen Eumelanin-Aggregaten konnte gezeigt werden, dass Unterschiede zwischen dem linear und nichtlinear angeregten Fluoreszenzspektrum nicht nur durch einen schrittweisen Anregungsprozess bei nichtlinearer Anregung sondern auch durch Unterschiede in den Verh{\"a}ltnissen der Quantenausbeuten zwischen kleinen und großen Aggregaten beim Wechsel von linearer zu nichtlinearer Anregung begr{\"u}ndet sein k{\"o}nnen. Durch Bestimmung des Anregungswirkungsquerschnitts und der Anregungspulsdauer-Abh{\"a}ngigkeit der nichtlinear angeregten Fluoreszenz von Eumelanin konnte jedoch ein schrittweiser 2-Photonen-Anregungsprozess {\"u}ber einen Zwischenzustand mit Lebendsdauern im ps-Bereich nachgewiesen werden.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Moesta2011, author = {M{\"o}sta, Philipp}, title = {Novel aspects of the dynamics of binary black-hole mergers}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-59820}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The inspiral and merger of two black holes is among the most exciting and extreme events in our universe. Being one of the loudest sources of gravitational waves, they provide a unique dynamical probe of strong-field general relativity and a fertile ground for the observation of fundamental physics. While the detection of gravitational waves alone will allow us to observe our universe through an entirely new window, combining the information obtained from both gravitational wave and electro-magnetic observations will allow us to gain even greater insight in some of the most exciting astrophysical phenomena. In addition, binary black-hole mergers serve as an intriguing tool to study the geometry of space-time itself. In this dissertation we study the merger process of binary black-holes in a variety of conditions. Our results show that asymmetries in the curvature distribution on the common apparent horizon are correlated to the linear momentum acquired by the merger remnant. We propose useful tools for the analysis of black holes in the dynamical and isolated horizon frameworks and shed light on how the final merger of apparent horizons proceeds after a common horizon has already formed. We connect mathematical theorems with data obtained from numerical simulations and provide a first glimpse on the behavior of these surfaces in situations not accessible to analytical tools. We study electro-magnetic counterparts of super-massive binary black-hole mergers with fully 3D general relativistic simulations of binary black-holes immersed both in a uniform magnetic field in vacuum and in a tenuous plasma. We find that while a direct detection of merger signatures with current electro-magnetic telescopes is unlikely, secondary emission, either by altering the accretion rate of the circumbinary disk or by synchrotron radiation from accelerated charges, may be detectable. We propose a novel approach to measure the electro-magnetic radiation in these simulations and find a non-collimated emission that dominates over the collimated one appearing in the form of dual jets associated with each of the black holes. Finally, we provide an optimized gravitational wave detection pipeline using phenomenological waveforms for signals from compact binary coalescence and show that by including spin effects in the waveform templates, the detection efficiency is drastically improved as well as the bias on recovered source parameters reduced. On the whole, this disseration provides evidence that a multi-messenger approach to binary black-hole merger observations provides an exciting prospect to understand these sources and, ultimately, our universe.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Hoffmann2011, author = {Hoffmann, Anne}, title = {Comparative aerosol studies based on multi-wavelength Raman LIDAR at Ny-{\AA}lesund, Spitsbergen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52426}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The Arctic is a particularly sensitive area with respect to climate change due to the high surface albedo of snow and ice and the extreme radiative conditions. Clouds and aerosols as parts of the Arctic atmosphere play an important role in the radiation budget, which is, as yet, poorly quantified and understood. The LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) measurements presented in this PhD thesis contribute with continuous altitude resolved aerosol profiles to the understanding of occurrence and characteristics of aerosol layers above Ny-{\AA}lesund, Spitsbergen. The attention was turned to the analysis of periods with high aerosol load. As the Arctic spring troposphere exhibits maximum aerosol optical depths (AODs) each year, March and April of both the years 2007 and 2009 were analyzed. Furthermore, stratospheric aerosol layers of volcanic origin were analyzed for several months, subsequently to the eruptions of the Kasatochi and Sarychev volcanoes in summer 2008 and 2009, respectively. The Koldewey Aerosol Raman LIDAR (KARL) is an instrument for the active remote sensing of atmospheric parameters using pulsed laser radiation. It is operated at the AWIPEV research base and was fundamentally upgraded within the framework of this PhD project. It is now equipped with a new telescope mirror and new detection optics, which facilitate atmospheric profiling from 450m above sea level up to the mid-stratosphere. KARL provides highly resolved profiles of the scattering characteristics of aerosol and cloud particles (backscattering, extinction and depolarization) as well as water vapor profiles within the lower troposphere. Combination of KARL data with data from other instruments on site, namely radiosondes, sun photometer, Micro Pulse LIDAR, and tethersonde system, resulted in a comprehensive data set of scattering phenomena in the Arctic atmosphere. The two spring periods March and April 2007 and 2009 were at first analyzed based on meteorological parameters, like local temperature and relative humidity profiles as well as large scale pressure patterns and air mass origin regions. Here, it was not possible to find a clear correlation between enhanced AOD and air mass origin. However, in a comparison of two cloud free periods in March 2007 and April 2009, large AOD values in 2009 coincided with air mass transport through the central Arctic. This suggests the occurrence of aerosol transformation processes during the aerosol transport to Ny-{\AA}lesund. Measurements on 4 April 2009 revealed maximum AOD values of up to 0.12 and aerosol size distributions changing with altitude. This and other performed case studies suggest the differentiation between three aerosol event types and their origin: Vertically limited aerosol layers in dry air, highly variable hygroscopic boundary layer aerosols and enhanced aerosol load across wide portions of the troposphere. For the spring period 2007, the available KARL data were statistically analyzed using a characterization scheme, which is based on optical characteristics of the scattering particles. The scheme was validated using several case studies. Volcanic eruptions in the northern hemisphere in August 2008 and June 2009 arose the opportunity to analyze volcanic aerosol layers within the stratosphere. The rate of stratospheric AOD change was similar within both years with maximum values above 0.1 about three to five weeks after the respective eruption. In both years, the stratospheric AOD persisted at higher rates than usual until the measurements were stopped in late September due to technical reasons. In 2008, up to three aerosol layers were detected, the layer structure in 2009 was characterized by up to six distinct and thin layers which smeared out to one broad layer after about two months. The lowermost aerosol layer was continuously detected at the tropopause altitude. Three case studies were performed, all revealed rather large indices of refraction of m = (1.53-1.55) - 0.02i, suggesting the presence of an absorbing carbonaceous component. The particle radius, derived with inversion calculations, was also similar in both years with values ranging from 0.16 to 0.19 μm. However, in 2009, a second mode in the size distribution was detected at about 0.5 μm. The long term measurements with the Koldewey Aerosol Raman LIDAR in Ny-{\AA}lesund provide the opportunity to study Arctic aerosols in the troposphere and the stratosphere not only in case studies but on longer time scales. In this PhD thesis, both, tropospheric aerosols in the Arctic spring and stratospheric aerosols following volcanic eruptions have been described qualitatively and quantitatively. Case studies and comparative studies with data of other instruments on site allowed for the analysis of microphysical aerosol characteristics and their temporal evolution.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Bergner2011, author = {Bergner, Andr{\´e}}, title = {Synchronization in complex systems with multiple time scales}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-53407}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {In the present work synchronization phenomena in complex dynamical systems exhibiting multiple time scales have been analyzed. Multiple time scales can be active in different manners. Three different systems have been analyzed with different methods from data analysis. The first system studied is a large heterogenous network of bursting neurons, that is a system with two predominant time scales, the fast firing of action potentials (spikes) and the burst of repetitive spikes followed by a quiescent phase. This system has been integrated numerically and analyzed with methods based on recurrence in phase space. An interesting result are the different transitions to synchrony found in the two distinct time scales. Moreover, an anomalous synchronization effect can be observed in the fast time scale, i.e. there is range of the coupling strength where desynchronization occurs. The second system analyzed, numerically as well as experimentally, is a pair of coupled CO₂ lasers in a chaotic bursting regime. This system is interesting due to its similarity with epidemic models. We explain the bursts by different time scales generated from unstable periodic orbits embedded in the chaotic attractor and perform a synchronization analysis of these different orbits utilizing the continuous wavelet transform. We find a diverse route to synchrony of these different observed time scales. The last system studied is a small network motif of limit cycle oscillators. Precisely, we have studied a hub motif, which serves as elementary building block for scale-free networks, a type of network found in many real world applications. These hubs are of special importance for communication and information transfer in complex networks. Here, a detailed study on the mechanism of synchronization in oscillatory networks with a broad frequency distribution has been carried out. In particular, we find a remote synchronization of nodes in the network which are not directly coupled. We also explain the responsible mechanism and its limitations and constraints. Further we derive an analytic expression for it and show that information transmission in pure phase oscillators, such as the Kuramoto type, is limited. In addition to the numerical and analytic analysis an experiment consisting of electrical circuits has been designed. The obtained results confirm the former findings.}, language = {en} }