<p>The fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE), discovered in 1982 in a two-dimensional electron system, has generated a wealth of successful theory and new concepts in condensed matter physics, but is still not fully understood. The possibility of having nonabelian quasiparticle statistics has recently attracted attention on purely theoretical grounds but also because of its potential applications in topologically protected quantum computing.</p><p>This thesis focuses on the quasiparticles using three different approaches. The first is an effective Chern-Simons theory description, where the noncommutativity imposed on the classical space variables captures the incompressibility. We propose a construction of the quasielectron and illustrate how many-body quantum effects are emulated by a classical noncommutative theory.</p><p>The second approach involves a study of quantum Hall states on a torus where one of the periods is taken to be almost zero. Characteristic quantum Hall properties survive in this limit in which they become very simple to understand. We illustrate this by giving a simple counting argument for degeneracy 2<i>n</i>^-1, pertinent to nonabelian statistics, in the presence of 2<i>n</i> quasiholes in the Moore-Read state and generalise this result to 2<i>n</i>-<i>k</i> quasiholes and <i>k </i>quasielectrons.</p><p>In the third approach, we study the topological nature of the degeneracy 2<i>n</i>^-1 by using a recently proposed analogy between the Moore-Read state and the two-dimensional spin-polarized p-wave BCS state. We study a version of this problem where one can use techniques developed in the context of high-<i>T</i>c superconductors to turn the vortex background into an effective gauge field in a Dirac equation. Topological arguments in the form of index theory gives the degeneracy 2<i>n</i>^-1 for 2<i>n</i> vortices.</p>

Les systèmes intégrables toriques sont des systèmes intégrables dont toutes les composantes de l'application moment sont périodiques de même période. Il s'agit donc de variétés symplectiques munies d'actions Hamiltoniennes de tores. Au début des années 80, Atiyah-Guillemin-Sternberg ont démontré que l'image de l'application moment était un polytope convexe à face rationnelles. Peu de temps après, Delzant a démontré que dans le cas intégrable qui nous intéresse, ce polytope caractérisait entièrement le système : la variété symplectique comme l'action du tore. Le champs d'étude s'est ensuite élargi aux systèmes dits semi-toriques. Ce sont des systèmes intégrables dont toutes les composantes de l'application moment sauf une sont périodiques de même période. En outre, pour simplifier l'étude de ces systèmes, on demande que tous les points critiques du systèmes soient non-dégénérés, et sans composante hyperbolique pour la hessienne. En revanche les points critiques des systèmes semi-toriques peuvent comporter des composantes dites "foyer-foyer". Celles-ci ont une dynamique plus riche que les singularités elliptiques, mais conservent certaines propriétés qui rendent leur analyse plus aisée que les singularités hyperboliques. San Vu-Ngoc et Alvaro Pelayo ont réussi à étendre pour ces systèmes semi-toriques les résultats d'Atiyah-Guillemin-Sternberg et Delzant en dimension 2. L'objectif de cette thèse est de proposer une extension de ces résultats en dimension quelconque, à commencer par la dimension 3. Les techniques utilisées relèvent de l'analyse comme de la géométrie symplectique, ainsi que de la théorie de Morse dans des espaces différentiels stratifiés. / Semi-toric integrable systems are integrable systems whose every component of the moment map are periodic of the same period. They are symplectic manifolds endowed with a Hamiltonian torus actions. At the beginning of the 80's, Atiyah-Guillemin-Sternberg proved that the image of the moment map was a polytope with rational faces. A bit after that, Delzant showed that in the integrable case that matters to us, this polytope characterized entirely the system, that is, the symplectic manifold as well as the torus action. Next, field of study widened to semi-toric systems. They are integrable systems whose all components except one are periodic with the same period. Moreover, to simplify their study, we ask that these systems have only non-degenerate critical points without hyperbolic components. On the other hand, critical points of semi-toric systems can have so-called ''focus-focus'' components. They have a richer dynamic than elliptic singularities, but it retains some properties that makes them easier to study than hyperbolic singularities. San Vu-Ngoc and Alvaro Pelayo have managed to extend to these semi-toric systems the results of Atiyah-Guillemin-Sternberg and Delzant in dimension 2. The objective of this thesis is to propose an extension of these results to any dimension, starting with dimension 3. Techniques involved are analysis as well as symplectic geometry, and Morse theory in stratified differential spaces.

We study the relationship between subdivision rules, 3-dimensional manifolds, and circle packings. We find explicit subdivision rules for closed right-angled hyperbolic manifolds, a large family of hyperbolic manifolds with boundary, and all 3-manifolds of the E^3,H^2 x R, S^2 x R, SL_2(R), and S^3 geometries (up to finite covers). We define subdivision rules in all dimensions and find explicit subdivision rules for the n-dimensional torus as an example in each dimension. We define a graph and space at infinity for all subdivision rules, and use that to show that all subdivision rules for non-hyperbolic manifolds have mesh not going to 0. We provide an alternate proof of the Combinatorial Riemann Mapping Theorem using circle packings (although this has been done before). We provide a new definition of conformal for subdivision rules of unbounded valence, show that the subdivision rules for the Borromean rings complement are conformal and show that barycentric subdivision is almost conformal. Finally, we show that subdivision rules can be degenerate on a dense set, while still having convergent circle packings.

The quantum Hall (QH) system---cold electrons in two dimensions in a perpendicular magnetic field---is a striking example of a system where unexpected phenomena emerge at low energies. The low-energy physics of this system is effectively one-dimensional due to the magnetic field. We identify an exactly solvable limit of this interacting many-body problem, and provide strong evidence that its solutions are adiabatically connected to the observed QH states in a similar manner as the free electron gas is related to real interacting fermions in a metal according to Landau's Fermi liquid theory. The solvable limit corresponds to the electron gas on a thin torus. Here the ground states are gapped periodic crystals and the fractionally charged excitations appear as domain walls between degenerate ground states. The fractal structure of the abelian Haldane-Halperin hierarchy is manifest for generic two-body interactions. By minimizing a local k+1-body interaction we obtain a representation of the non-abelian Read-Rezayi states, where the domain wall patterns encode the fusion rules of the underlying conformal field theory. We provide extensive analytical and numerical evidence that the Laughlin/Jain states are continuously connected to the exact solutions. For more general hierarchical states we exploit the intriguing connection to conformal field theory and construct wave functions that coincide with the exact ones in the solvable limit. If correct, this construction implies the adiabatic continuation of the pertinent states. We provide some numerical support for this scenario at the recently observed fraction 4/11. Non-QH phases are separated from the thin torus by a phase transition. At half-filling, this leads to a Luttinger liquid of neutral dipoles which provides an explicit microscopic example of how weakly interacting quasiparticles in a reduced (zero) magnetic field emerge at low energies. We argue that this is also smoothly connected to the bulk state.

We present a detailed study of mid-infrared spectroscopy and optical imaging of Seyfert galaxies with the goal of understanding the properties of astronomical dust around the central supermassive black hole and the accretion disk. Specifically, we have studied Spitzer Space Telescope mid-infrared spectra of 12 Seyfert 1.8-1.9s and 58 Seyfert 1s and 2s available in the Spitzer public archive, and the nuclear dust morphology in the central 500 pc of 91 narrow and broad-line Seyfert 1s using optical images from the Hubble Space Telescope. We have also developed visualization software to aid the understanding of the geometry of the central engine. Based on these studies, we conclude that the nuclear regions of Seyfert galaxies are fueled by dusty spirals driven by the large-scale stellar bars in the host galaxy. The accumulation of dusty gas in the central kiloparsec leads to enhanced star formation. In this case, the circumnuclear starburst and the central engine compete for dominance in the heating of the circumnuclear dust. Emission from the heated dust is most clearly seen in the mid-infrared. We find that the spectra of Seyfert 2s show the most variety in the continuum shapes due to different starburst contributions. We find that the spectra of Seyfert 2s that are devoid of starburst contribution are dominated by a single thermal component at a temperature of T ~ 170 K. We also find that the mid-IR continua of Seyfert 1.8/1.9 galaxies are more like those of starburst-dominated Seyfert 2s than Seyfert 1s, contrary to expectations. We discuss the implications of these findings in the context of the Unified Model of AGN and the secular evolution of Seyfert nuclei.

The fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE), discovered in 1982 in a two-dimensional electron system, has generated a wealth of successful theory and new concepts in condensed matter physics, but is still not fully understood. The possibility of having nonabelian quasiparticle statistics has recently attracted attention on purely theoretical grounds but also because of its potential applications in topologically protected quantum computing. This thesis focuses on the quasiparticles using three different approaches. The first is an effective Chern-Simons theory description, where the noncommutativity imposed on the classical space variables captures the incompressibility. We propose a construction of the quasielectron and illustrate how many-body quantum effects are emulated by a classical noncommutative theory. The second approach involves a study of quantum Hall states on a torus where one of the periods is taken to be almost zero. Characteristic quantum Hall properties survive in this limit in which they become very simple to understand. We illustrate this by giving a simple counting argument for degeneracy 2n-1, pertinent to nonabelian statistics, in the presence of 2n quasiholes in the Moore-Read state and generalise this result to 2n-k quasiholes and k quasielectrons. In the third approach, we study the topological nature of the degeneracy 2n-1 by using a recently proposed analogy between the Moore-Read state and the two-dimensional spin-polarized p-wave BCS state. We study a version of this problem where one can use techniques developed in the context of high-Tc superconductors to turn the vortex background into an effective gauge field in a Dirac equation. Topological arguments in the form of index theory gives the degeneracy 2n-1 for 2n vortices.

In this digital age, cryptography is largely built in computer hardware or software as discrete structures. One of the most useful of these structures is finite fields. In this thesis, we explore a variety of applications of the theory and applications of arithmetic and computation in finite fields in both the areas of cryptography and cryptanalysis. First, multiplication algorithms in finite extensions of prime fields are explored. A new algebraic description of implementing the subquadratic Karatsuba algorithm and its variants for extension field multiplication are presented. The use of cy- clotomic fields and Gauss periods in constructing suitable extensions of virtually all sizes for efficient arithmetic are described. These multiplication techniques are then applied on some previously proposed public key cryptosystem based on exten- sion fields. These include the trace-based cryptosystems such as XTR, and torus- based cryptosystems such as CEILIDH. Improvements to the cost of arithmetic were achieved in some constructions due to the capability of thorough optimisation using the algebraic description. Then, for symmetric key systems, the focus is on algebraic analysis and attacks of stream ciphers. Different techniques of computing solutions to an arbitrary system of boolean equations were considered, and a method of analysing and simplifying the system using truth tables and graph theory have been investigated. Algebraic analyses were performed on stream ciphers based on linear feedback shift registers where clock control mechanisms are employed, a category of ciphers that have not been previously analysed before using this method. The results are successful algebraic attacks on various clock-controlled generators and cascade generators, and a full algebraic analyses for the eSTREAM cipher candidate Pomaranch. Some weaknesses in the filter functions used in Pomaranch have also been found. Finally, some non-traditional algebraic analysis of stream ciphers are presented. An algebraic analysis on the word-based RC4 family of stream ciphers is performed by constructing algebraic expressions for each of the operations involved, and it is concluded that each of these operations are significant in contributing to the overall security of the system. As far as we know, this is the first algebraic analysis on a stream cipher that is not based on linear feedback shift registers. The possibility of using binary extension fields and quotient rings for algebraic analysis of stream ciphers based on linear feedback shift registers are then investigated. Feasible algebraic attacks for generators with nonlinear filters are obtained and algebraic analyses for more complicated generators with multiple registers are presented. This new form of algebraic analysis may prove useful and thereby complement the traditional algebraic attacks. This thesis concludes with some future directions that can be taken and some open questions. Arithmetic and computation in finite fields will certainly be an important area for ongoing research as we are confronted with new developments in theory and exponentially growing computer power.

Soit k un corps algébriquement clos de caractéristique 0 et F une suite de n polynômes en intersection complète sur k[X1,...,Xn]. Le Bezoutien de F fournit une forme dualisante sur k[X]/<F> appelée symbole de Kronecker, qui est un analogue algébrique du résidu. L'objet de ce travail est de construire et calculer le symbole de Kronecker dans le tore (C*)n relativement à une famille f de n polynômes de Laurent en n variables. La famille f possède un nombre fini de zéros et est régulière pour ses polytopes de Newton. La représentation du résidu global dans le tore à l'aide d'un résidu torique, donnée par Cattani et Dickenstein, suggère d'interpréter le symbole de Kronecker dans le tore dans la variété torique projective définie par le polytope P, somme de Minkowski des polytopes de Newton de f.Lorsque P est premier, Roy et Szpirglas ont défini le symbole de Kronecker dans le tore à partir des symboles de Kronecker définis sur les ouverts affines de la variété torique Xp relativement à une famille de n + 1 polynômes homogènes sans zéros communs dans la variété Xp. Nous montrons ici que le cas « P non premier » est réductible au cas précédent en explicitant les morphismes d'éclatement qui traduisent le raffinement de l’éventail de Xp en un éventail simplicial. / Let k be an algebraically closed field with char(k) = 0 and let be polynomials F1,..., Fn such that k[X1,...,Xn]/<F1,..., Fn> is a complete intersection k-algebra. The Bezoutian of F1,..., Fn gives a dualizing form acting on k[X1,...,Xn]/<F1,..., Fn> called Kronecker symbol. It is an algebraic analogue of residue. The aim of this work is to build and calculate the Kronecker symbol in the torus (C*)n for a system f of Laurent polynomials with a a finite set of zeroes and regular for its Newton polytopes. In the same way as Cattani and Dickenstein have done for the global residue in the torus, we consider the projective variety given by the Minkowski sum P of the Newton polytopes of f in order to build the Kronecker symbol in the torus.When P is prime, Roy and Szpirglas have defined the Kronecker symbol in the torus from Kronecker symbols on affine subsets of Xp for a system of n+1 homogeneous polynomials with no common zeroes in XP . We prove that the case "P no prime" can be reduced to the previous case by using simplicial refinements of the fan of Xp and making explicit the associated toric morphisms on the total coordinate spaces.

SpiNNaker is an unconventional supercomputer architecture designed to simulate up to one billion biologically realistic neurons in real-time. To achieve this goal, SpiNNaker employs a novel network architecture which poses a number of practical problems in scaling up from desktop prototypes to machine room filling installations. SpiNNaker's hexagonal torus network topology has received mostly theoretical treatment in the literature. This thesis tackles some of the challenges encountered when building `real-world' systems. Firstly, a scheme is devised for physically laying out hexagonal torus topologies in machine rooms which avoids long cables; this is demonstrated on a half-million core SpiNNaker prototype. Secondly, to improve the performance of existing routing algorithms, a more efficient process is proposed for finding (logically) short paths through hexagonal torus topologies. This is complemented by a formula which provides routing algorithms with greater flexibility when finding paths, potentially resulting in a more balanced network utilisation. The scale of SpiNNaker's network and the models intended for it also present their own challenges. Placement and routing algorithms are developed which assign processes to nodes and generate paths through SpiNNaker's network. These algorithms minimise congestion and tolerate network faults. The proposed placement algorithm is inspired by techniques used in chip design and is shown to enable larger applications to run on SpiNNaker than the previous state-of-the-art. Likewise the routing algorithm developed is able to tolerate network faults, inevitably present in large-scale systems, with little performance overhead.

[pt] Consideramos o problema de contar e classificar coberturas por dominós de toros quadriculados. O problema de contagem para retângulos foi estudado por Kasteleyn e usamos muitas de suas ideias. Coberturas por dominós de regiões planares podem ser representadas por funções altura; para um toro dado por um reticulado L, estas funções exibem L-quasiperiodicidade aritmética. As constantes aditivas determinam o fluxo da cobertura, que pode ser interpretado como um vetor no reticulado dual (2L) asterisco. Damos uma caracterização dos valores de fluxo efetivamente realizados e de como coberturas correspondentes se comportam. Também consideramos coberturas por dominós do reticulado quadrado infinito; coberturas de toros podem ser vistas como um caso particular destas. Descrevemos a construção e uso de matrizes de Kasteleyn no problema de contagem, e como elas podem ser aplicadas para contar coberturas com valores de fluxo prescritos. Finalmente, estudamos a distribuição limite do número de coberturas com um dado valor de fluxo quando o reticulado L sofre uma dilatação uniforme. / [en] We consider the problem of counting and classifying domino tilings of a quadriculated torus. The counting problem for rectangles was studied by Kasteleyn and we use many of his ideas. Domino tilings of planar regions can be represented by height functions; for a torus given by a lattice L, these functions exhibit arithmetic L-quasiperiodicity. The additive constants determine the flux of the tiling, which can be interpreted as a vector in the dual lattice (2L) asterisk. We give a characterization of the actual flux values, and of how corresponding tilings behave. We also consider domino tilings of the infinite square lattice; tilings of tori can be seen as a particular case of those. We describe the construction and usage of Kasteleyn matrices in the counting problem, and how they can be applied to count tilings with prescribed flux values. Finally, we study the limit distribution of the number of tilings with a given flux value as a uniform scaling dilates the lattice L.