Cette thèse porte sur l’étude de la radio-sensibilité de Molécules AromatiquesHétérocycliques (MAH) à basse température exposées à une irradiation avec des ionslourds rapides. La présence de ces molécules dans les météorites carbonées sur Terre estune forte indication pour l’existence de cette catégorie de molécules dans l’espace.L’objectif de ce travail est de simuler l’effet des rayons cosmiques sur des MAH enphase solide et d’estimer leur résistance à l’irradiation. Les lignes de faisceaux deGANIL et de GSI permettent de simuler cet effet. L’évolution des MAH en phase solidea été monitorée par spectroscopie infrarouge à transformée de Fourier. Cela permet dequantifier la destruction des MAH, de déterminer leur section efficace de destruction etde détecter les molécules produites. Les sections efficaces de destruction de l’adénine etde la cytosine suivent une loi puissance en fonction du pouvoir d’arrêt électronique :σd~ Se1.2. Les nouvelles bandes d’absorption observées après l’irradiation des MAH sontprincipalement attribuées à des nitriles (R-C≡N), des isonitriles (R-N≡C) et (R-C≡C).L’évolution de la section efficace en fonction du pouvoir d’arrêt électronique a permisd’estimer la durée de vie de l’adénine dans l’espace : (14×106) années. Ces résultatspermettront de comprendre la stabilité et la chimie de ces molécules complexes dansl’espace. / The thesis concerns the study of the radio sensitivity of aromatic heterocyclic molecules(AHMs) at low temperature (12 K) exposed to swift heavy ion radiation. The presenceof aromatic heterocyclic molecules in carbonaceous meteorites on Earth is a strongindication that this class of molecules exists in outer space.The aim of this work was to study the effects of cosmic ray analogues on solid AHMsand to estimate their survival under radiation. The beam lines of GANIL and GSI allowto simulate the effects of cosmic rays in AHMs. The evolution of the solid AHMs underirradiation was monitored by Fourier transformed infrared absorption spectroscopy; thisallows to quantify the disappearance of AHMs, to determine their apparent destructioncross section and to detect their radioproducts. Furthermore, it was found that adenineand cytosine destruction cross sections (σd) follow a power law with the electronicenergy loss: σd~ Se1.2 .New IR absorption peaks arising from the AHMs degradationswere observed; these peaks can be attributed to nitriles (R-C≡N), isonitriles (R-N≡C),and (R-C≡C).The observed power law allowed the estimation of the lifetime of adeninein space exposed to galactic cosmic rays as (14×106) years. These findings may help tounderstand the stability and chemistry related to complex organic molecules in space.

Deux analyses sont présentées dans cette thèse. Une première analyse exploite les données du télescope à neutrino ANTARES pour sonder la présence d'un flux de neutrino diffus galactique. Cette analyse se base sur un modèle récent de propagation des rayons cosmiques dans la galaxie, le modèle KRAγ. Ce modèle prédit un flux de neutrinos particulièrement élevé et proche de la sensibilité des télescopes à neutrinos actuels. Il existe deux versions de ce modèle correspondant à différentes coupures sur l'énergie des rayons cosmiques, à 5 et 50 PeV/nucléon. Une méthode de maximisation d'une fonction de vraisemblance est utilisée pour prendre en compte les caractéristiques du modèle, autant spatiales qu'en énergie. Cette analyse a également été combinée avec les données de l'expérience IceCube dans le but d'exploiter au mieux les données actuelles. Des limites ont été mises sur ce modèle rejetant la version avec une coupure à 50 PeV et limitant la version avec une coupure à 5 PeV à moins de 1,2 fois le flux prédit par le modèle. Une deuxième analyse de suivi du signal d'ondes gravitationnelles GW170817 par le télescope à neutrino ANTARES est également présentée. Le signal d'onde gravitationnelles GW170817 résulte de la coalescence d'une binaire d'étoiles à neutrons. Cette deuxième analyse a pour objectif de sonder la présence d'un flux de neutrinos provenant de cet événement en cherchant des neutrinos corrélés spatialement et temporellement. J'ai pris part à cette analyse en y ajoutant les événement de type cascade. Aucun événement n'a été détecté en corrélation, des limites ont été mises sur le flux de neutrino attendu. / Two analyses are detailed in this thesis. A first analysis exploit the data of the ANTARES neutrino telescope to probe the presence of a Galactic diffuse neutrino flux. This analysis is based on a recent model of cosmic ray propagation in the Galaxy, the KRAγ model. This model predict a neutrino flux particularly high and close to the sensitivity of the current neutrino telescopes. Two versions of this model exist corresponding to different cuts in the cosmic ray energy, one at 5 PeV/nucleon and an other one at 50 PeV/nucleon. A method of maximization of a likelihood function is used in order to account for the model characteristics in energy and space. The analysis has also been combined with the data of the IceCube experiment in order to exploit all the available data. Limits have been put on this model rejecting the version of the model with the 50 PeV cut and limiting the version with the 5 PeV cut to less than 1.2 times the predicted flux.A second analysis of gravitational wave signal follow-up by the ANTARES neutrino telescope is also presented in this work. The GW170817 gravitational wave signal results from the coalescence of a binary neutron star system. This second analysis aims at probing the presence of a neutrino flux coming from this event looking for neutrino events correlated in space and time. I took part to this analysis by adding the shower-like event sample. No event has been detected in correlation, limits have been put on the expected neutrino flux.

This diploma thesis examines the possibilities of a new method of astronomical calibration at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina. Its goal is to use stars as objects with known brightness to calibrate the fluorescence detectors and compare these results with the existing calibration. The analysis was done using computer programs which use the star catalog and experimental background data to compare the current calibration with our method. Results that are presented conclude that the calibration using stars is consistent with the existing calibration, however, the error of the new method is much higher. Nevertheless, there is a good potential for scale - it could be used for all past and future data. Potential improvements to this method and its error are suggested.

In this thesis, we present our two studies focused on the detection of cosmic γ-rays and the analysis of data from γ-ray observations. One study deals with the method of the Cherenkov transparency coefficient. This method is suitable for the detector calibration in experiments employing imaging atmo- spheric Cherenkov telescopes for the indirect detection of cosmic γ-rays. Us- ing rates of recorded air showers initiated by charged cosmic rays, the method aims at the monitoring of the atmospheric transparency to Cherenkov light and the calibration of the responses of Cherenkov telescopes. We present an extension of this method for the purposes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array observatory and demonstrate its feasibility using Monte Carlo simu- lations. Our other analysis utilizes more than 7 years of data from direct γ-ray observations by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We describe in detail signal observed from the parts of the sky around the active galactic nuclei 1ES 0229+200 and Centaurus A. We report on the findings of new astro- physical sources of high energy photons and document spectral and temporal properties of their γ-ray fluxes. 1

Cosmic rays of energies above 1014 eV are detected mostly indirectly, by observing the extensive air showers they create in the atmosphere. Multiple experiments suggest that the current models of high-energy interactions do not describe the cosmic ray data perfectly, in particular when it comes to the prediction for the number of muons at ground. We present two models aiming to improve the description of the muon component, one based on the addition of particles with small momenta in the local center-of-mass frame of the high-energy hadronic interactions in the shower, the other on the addition of the so-called dark photons to the electromagnetic part of the shower. While we find the latter having no observable consequences, the former improves the agreement between observed and predicted amounts of muons both for the DELPHI cosmic ray data and for the measurements by the Pierre Auger Observatory. We also describe the FRAM telescope, a device used to monitor the atmosphere at the Pierre Auger Observatory, and its applications to the search for anomalous shower profiles and to the measurement of the aerosol content of the atmosphere, which is crucial for the analysis of data obtained by fluorescence detectors. 1

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<p>Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) are accreting supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies, known for rich spectral features and multi-time scale variability in their electromagnetic emission. The origin of the variability in AGN light curves can be either intrinsic, meaning related processes that take place inside the AGN system, or extrinsic, i.e., from the propagation of light towards Earth. In this dissertation, I present my work focusing on AGN variability. The first two works focus on the variability of blazars, a subclass of AGN with their relativistic jets beaming towards the observer. The first work combines 3D relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (RMHD) simulations with radiation transfer and shows the kink instability within the blazar jet can cause quasi-periodic radiation signatures within a typical period of time scales from weeks to months. The second work combines 2D Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations with radiation transfer and shows that isolated and merging plasmoids due to magnetic reconnection in a blazar environment could produce rich radiation and polarization signatures. The last work explores an extrinsic origin for AGN variability: a scenario in which interstellar medium (ISM) within our galaxy can refract light coming from AGNs. It suggests that plasma structures in ISM with an axisymmetric geometry can account for extreme scattering events (ESEs) in AGN observations. Future research directions include studies of the kink instability in jets that propagate in different environments and simulations of magnetic reconnection in 3D which may reveal additional particle acceleration mechanisms, which may play important role in the resulting radiation and polarization signatures. </p>

<p dir="ltr">Understanding the acceleration of particles responsible for high-energy non-thermal phenomena in astrophysical jets is a ubiquitous pursuit. A possible culprit for non-thermal particle acceleration is turbulence. Specifically in this thesis, I investigate highly magne- tized or relativistic turbulence, where the magnetic energy to enthalpy ratio of the plasma is much greater than one, as a possible high-energy accelerator inside relativistic jets. I do this through three distinct projects. </p><p dir="ltr">My first project [1] (discussed in Section 3) was built upon a recent study of relativistic turbulence from [2], which found that a non-thermal particle equilibrium can be achieved when a plasma is heated via turbulence but allowed to cool radiatively. I extrapolated these results from PIC (Particle-in-Cell) simulations to larger scales and magnetizations, allowing me to encode key microphysical results of PIC simulations into a Fokker-Planck formalism. Combining these results with a single zone model for a blazar jet, I successfully define the underlying particle distribution with the global parameters of the emission region. To test this model, I fit data from 12 sources and successfully constrain key blazar parameters such as magnetization, bulk Lorentz factor, emission region size, and distance from the central engine. </p><p dir="ltr">My second project covers the development and testing of the open-source toolkit Tleco. This code base was used to evolve the Fokker-Planck equation and solve the resultant emission in my first project. Tleco offers efficient algorithms for evolving particle distributions and solving the resultant emission. It is meant to be user-friendly and easily customizable. </p><p dir="ltr">My third project attempts to enhance our understanding of coherent structures in relativistic turbulence. I employ intermittency analysis to establish a link between statistical fluctuations within the plasma and regions of high-energy dissipation. To achieve this, we used first-principle turbulent PIC simulations across a range of magnetizations and fluctuating magnetic field values. By utilizing the statistical fluctuations to determine the fractal dimension of the structures, I then examine their filling fraction and its dependence on magnetization and the fluctuating magnetic field.</p>

AMANDA-II ist ein Neutrino-Teleskop, das sich im Eis des Suedpols befindet. Es wurde optimiert um Spuren von hochenergetischen Myonen, die in Neutrino-Wechselwirkungen entstanden sind, anhand ihrer Emission von Cerenkov-Licht zu detektieren. In dieser Arbeit analysieren wir die Daten, die in 1001 Tagen effektiver Detektorlaufzeit in den Jahren 2000 bis 2004 gesammelt worden sind, um ein Signal von einer Neutrino-Punktquelle zu finden. Ein derartiges Signal wird von kosmischen Objekten erwartet, die Hadronen zu sehr hohen Energien beschleunigen, welche daraufhin mit Photonen und Protonen in der Umgebung des Objekts wechselwirken. Die wichtigste Signatur um ein Myon aus einer Neutrino-Wechselwirkung zu identifizieren ist eine nach oben laufende Spur. Ein Datensatz mit 4282 aufwaertslaufenden Ereignissen wurde aus den ca. 10 Milliarden im Zeitraum dieser Analyse registrierten Ereignissen extrahiert. Diese Zahl ist konsistent mit der erwarteten Anzahl atmosphaerischer Neutrinos. In der Suche nach Punktquellen wird nach einem lokalen Ereignissueberschuss in diesem Datensatz gesucht. Zuerst wird ein Katalog von Quellkandidaten untersucht. Danach wird eine Rastersuche nach unbekannten Quellen auf dem ganzen noerdlichen Himmel durchgefuehrt. Darueberhinaus werden Methoden entwickelt um die Chancen einer Detektion von Quellen zu erhoehen von denen vermutet wird, dass ihre Neutrinoemission hochvariabel ist. Kein signifikanter lokaler Ereignissueberschuss wurde im analysierten Datensatz gefunden. Deswegen berechnen wir obere Grenzen fuer Neutrinofluesse, die mit dieser Beobachtung vertraeglich sind. Die mittlere obere Flussgrenze fuer ein Neutrinospektrum dPhi/dE proportional zu E^-2, die mit dieser Analyse erreicht wird, ist E^2 dPhi/dE = 1.0^-7 GeV cm^-2 s^-1 fuer den aufaddierten Fluss von nu_mu + nu_tau unter der Annahme eines Flavor-Verhaeltnisses von 1:1. Dies entspricht der momentan niedrigsten Flussgrenze fuer Neutrinofluesse von Punktquellen. / AMANDA-II is a neutrino telescope located in the glacial ice at the South Pole. It is optimized to detect neutrino induced muon tracks with energies larger than 100 GeV by their Cerenkov light emission. We analyzed the data collected in 1001 effective days of detector operation between the years 2000 and 2004 for a signal from point-like sources of neutrinos. Such a signal is expected from cosmic objects that accelerate hadrons to very high energies, which subsequently interact with ambient protons or photons. The dominant event class recorded in AMANDA-II are muons produced in the interactions of cosmic rays in the atmosphere. Due to their energy loss, the muons cannot penetrate the Earth and have down-going directions. The main signature to identify a neutrino induced event is therefore its up-going direction. A sample of 4282 up-going events is extracted from the 10 billion events triggered in the period selected for this analysis. The search for point sources is accomplished on this data sample by looking for a localized excess over the isotropic background of atmospheric neutrinos. The procedure is applied for the directions of candidate sources, like Active Galactic Nuclei, Supernova remnants and X-ray binaries. In a second step, the full northern sky is scanned for unknown sources. Further, we investigate methods to enhance the detection chance for sources which are suspected to be highly variable neutrino emitters. No localized excess has been found in the analyzed dataset. Therefore, we calculate upper limits on the neutrino fluxes which are compatible with this observation. The average upper limit achieved for a combined nu_mu + nu_tau flux with a spectrum of dPhi/dE proportional to E^-2 is E^2 dPhi/dE = 1.0 10^-7 GeV cm^-2 s^-1 assuming a flavor ratio of 1:1. It represents the most stringent upper limit on neutrino fluxes from point-like sources reported so far.