This thesis explores the expansive world of General Relativity, and its role to play in modern cosmology and quantum field theory. We begin with a pedagogical approach to relativity, in particular, highlighting upon the ambiguity that arises with the conventions used in different textbooks. A brief introduction to tensor calculus has also been provided in the appendix. The preliminary chapters are also complimented with examples of numerical relativity via simulation. We then move on to discuss examples of non-linear systems, and their exact solutions. Such systems will be analogous to those we shall encounter later, upon considering scalar field theories as a means of modelling dark energy. We shall introduce the axion as our highly motivated dark matter candidate, since this will ultimately determine the behaviour of the scalar field. Coupled to a scaling factor across the spatial domain, it is found that this scalar field will ultimately determine the evolution of our universe. The key result of this thesis has been the possibility to screen both the cosmological constant, and flatness of the universe, to within observable parameters. These results will be explicitly derived from first principles. Also included is a tentative approach to holographic theory, in which strongly correlated systems may be modelled within the asymptotic domain of Anti-de Sitter (AdS) space. Ultimately, our aspirations are to bridge the gap with condensed matter theory, in particular with the publications included within the latter appendices. These publications discuss graphene as a revolutionary new material, for inclusion in both transistor-based and optoelectronic devices.

O objetivo desta dissertação é revisar os operadores laços de Wilson no contexto da correspondência AdS/CFT. Estes operadores, presentes em qualquer teoria de calibre, são importantes por nos fornecer um parâmetro de ordem para a transição de fase confinante/desconfinante. Além disso, eles são particularmente importantes no estudo da correspondência AdS/ CFT pois: i) Eles nos dão, em alguns casos, resultados exatos graças ao fato de poderem ser localizados em um modelo de matrizes, desta forma nos permitindo fazer testes altamente não triviais da correspondência; ii) Eles são os objetos da teoria de calibre que são duais as cordas propagando no interior do espaço, nos dando um rico dicionário entre quantidades no interior (AdS) e na borda do espaço (CFT). Depois de revisarmos os laços de Wilson em teorias de calibre e a correspondência Ads/CFT, introduziremos a definição dos laços de Wilson supersimétricos 1/2 BPS. Calcularemos eles para o caso de um acoplamento fraco e para qualquer outro valor da constante de acoplamento usando técnicas de modelos de matrizes. Finalmente, compararemos nossos resultados com computações de superfícies minimais no interior do espaço, encontrando uma concordância perfeita. / The aim of this thesis is to review Wilson loop operators in the contexto f the AdS/CFT correspondence. These operators, wich are present in any gauge theory, are important because they furnish an order parameter for confinement/deconfinement phase transitions. Besides this, they are particularly relevant in the study of the AdS/CFT correspondence because: i) they allow, in some cases, for exact results thanks to localization to matrix models and make it possible to perform highly non-trivial tests of the correspondence; ii) they are the gauge theory objects dual to strings propagating in the bulk of the space and give a rich dictionary between bulk (AdS) and boundary (CFT) quantities. After reviews of Wilson loops in gauge theories and of the Ads/CFT correspondence, we will introduce the definition of 1/2 BPS supersymmetric Wilson loops, we will compute them at weak coupling and then at any order in the coupling constant via matrix model techniques, and finally we will compare our results with minimal surface computations in the bulk, finding perfect agreement.

The formulation of rigid supersymmetric field theories on curved space leads to a number of results on their strongly-interacting regime, crucial from both the mathematical and physical point of view, starting from Witten's topological twist of four-dimensional Yang-Mills theory. At the same time, strongly-coupled field theories may also be studied holographically via the AdS/CFT correspondence. The aim of this thesis is to study aspects of the holographic dictionary for supersymmetric theories on curved manifolds. A key aspect of the correspondence is the renormalization of gravity observables, which is realized via holographic renormalization. If the dual boundary field theory is supersymmetric, it is natural to ask whether this scheme is compatible with the rigid supersymmetry at the curved boundary. The latter requires specific geometric structures, and general arguments imply that BPS observables, such as the partition function, are invariant under certain deformations of these structures. We may then formulate a precise check of the holographic dictionary by asking whether the dual holographic observables are similarly invariant, as the free energy of the gauge theory is identified with the holographically renormalized supergravity action. In the first part of the thesis, we consider this question in N = 4 gauged supergravity in four and five dimensions for the holographic dual to the topological twists of N = 4 gauge theories on Riemannian three-manifolds and N = 2 gauge theories on Riemannian four-manifolds. We show that the renormalized on-shell action is independent of the metric on the boundary four-manifold, as required for a topological theory. We then go further, analyzing the geometry of supersymmetric bulk solutions. This allows us to show that the gravitational free energy of any smooth filling vanishes in both AdS₄/CFT₃ and AdS₅/CFT₄. In the second part of the thesis, we study the same question in minimal N = 2 gauged supergravity in four and five dimensions. In four dimensions we show that holographic renormalization precisely reproduces the expected field theory results for the dependence of the partition function on the background. Surprisingly, in five dimensions we find that no choice of standard holographic counterterms is compatible with supersymmetry, which leads us to introduce novel finite boundary terms. For a class of solutions satisfying certain topological assumptions we provide some independent tests of these new boundary terms, in particular showing that they reproduce the expected VEVs of conserved charges. We also briefly comment on the relation between these terms and boundary supercurrent anomalies.

Menopause is a biological change that affects the aging woman at some point in her life. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been a primary medical intervention for decades, and this study explores how HRT products are marketed to women experiencing menopause through direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug ads. Through a qualitative analysis of DTC ads and interviews with women experiencing menopause symptoms, this research investigated their perspective on HRT drug ads to understand if women respond to this type of advertising. Women’s understanding and experiences concerning menopause are influenced by a number of factors and can vary depending on the meanings that are associated with menopause. In U.S. culture, physical appearance is emphasized above other characteristics, so menopause and other signs of aging chge the beauty ideal. Media portrayals of women too often value youth and ideal beauty, with direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads reinforcing this notion by emphasizing how women can remain young, fight the signs of aging, and maintain their vitality by using HRT products. Women also feel conflicted about their bodies as they age because of these dominant standards that can then lead to negative body image. Social comparisons are an inherent process guiding behavior and experiences that affect how people understand themselves (Corcoran, Crusius, & Mussweiler, 2011). People look at others and to media images of others, relating that information to themselves as a way to measure what they are and aren’t capable of. When advertisements construct menopause as a deficiency that women need to treat with medications, women compare themselves to mediated images as they try to understand their menopause experience. Ads analyzed for this study presented messages that women need medication to maintain healthy activities during and after menopause. Most of the ads focused on painful sex that can happen with menopause but nearly all of the participants agreed that these ads did not relate to their experiences. This research found that women don’t believe menopause is a disease to be treated but if medications are used, it should be for the shortest time possible and only if the symptoms drastically interfere with a woman’s quality of life. Through these interviews with menopausal women and analysis of HRT ads, this study adds to limited current research on DTC ads for hormone replacement therapies and menopause.

This master’s thesis deals with integrating simulations using Agilents Electronic Design Automation tool ADS with customized Matlab scripts, for solving complex analog and digital radio architectures. In particular, it addresses predistortion, realized in the digital domain, of power amplifiers, modeled in the analog domain. The former is implemented in Matlab while the latter is implemented in ADS. Two versions of integrating the two systems have been tested: 1) Iterative approach on sample basis and 2) Scheduled batch solution by matrix inversion. The concept has been tested on two different PA configurations: 1) a standard class-AB PA and 2) a Doherty PA architecture. Evaluation has also been done on ADS ability to correctly simulate memory effects in PAs and on the actual DPD-algorithms ability to compensate for these memory effects.  An integrated simulation environment for ADS and Matlab was successfully established within the work of this thesis. Matlab scripts, used in predistortion algorithms in the digital domain, could interact directly with component-based PA models, in an enclosed simulation system.  The simulation results show that sample basis method is the most accurate, fast and reliable method to linearize a PA. The PA1 proved to be easier than the DPA to linearize, except for when being close to saturation where better IMD-suppression was achieved with the DPA.  ADS is clearly able to simulate memory effects in the analog domain. At low gain-levels the applied compensating memory-algorithms showed a great improvement to the linearization of the output signal of the PA. At higher gain-levels though, the compensation for memory effects lost their efficiency because the non-linearity of the PA became too significant.

In this Ph.D. thesis, we construct and study a number of new type IIB supergravity backgrounds that realize various flavored, finite temperature, and non-supersymmetric deformations of the resolved and deformed conifold geometries. We make heavy use of a U-duality solution generating procedure that allows us to begin with a modification of a family of solutions describing the backreaction of D5 branes wrapped on the S^2 of the resolved conifold, and generate new backgrounds related to the Klebanov-Strassler background. We first construct finite temperature backgrounds which describe a configuration of N_c D5 branes wrapped on the S^2 of the resolved conifold, in the presence of N_f flavor brane sources and their backreaction i.e. N_f/N_c ~ 1. In these solutions the dilaton does not blow up at infinity but stabilizes to a finite value. The U-duality procedure is then applied to these solutions to generate new ones with D5 and D3 charge. The resulting backgrounds are a non-extremal deformation of the resolved deformed conifold with D3 and D5 sources. It is tempting to interpret these solutions as gravity duals of finite temperature field theories exhibiting phenomena such as Seiberg dualities, Higgsing and confinement. However, a first necessary step in this direction is to investigate their stability. We study the specific heat of these new flavored backgrounds and find that they are thermodynamically unstable. Our results on the stability also apply to other non-extremal backgrounds with Klebanov-Strassler asymptotics found in the literature. In the second half of this thesis, we apply the U-duality procedure to generate another class of solutions which are zero temperature, non-supersymmetric deformations of the baryonic branch of Klebanov-Strassler. We interpret these in the dual field theory by the addition of a small gaugino mass. Using a combination of numerical and analytical methods, we construct the backgrounds explicitly, and calculate various observables of the field theory. / text

The fluid/gravity correspondence relates solutions of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equation to metrics which solve the Einstein equations. We propose propose two possible approaches to establish this correspondence: perturbative expansion for shear modes and large mean curvature expansion for algebraically special metrics. / Physics

Submitted by Prieslei E. D. Goulart Santos (prieslei@ift.unesp.br) on 2017-12-07T16:59:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Thesis.pdf: 1801229 bytes, checksum: 71a64454056164c79eed45a9201789ac (MD5) / Submitted by Prieslei E. D. Goulart Santos (prieslei@ift.unesp.br) on 2017-12-11T18:47:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Thesis.pdf: 1801229 bytes, checksum: 71a64454056164c79eed45a9201789ac (MD5) / Submitted by Prieslei E. D. Goulart Santos (prieslei@ift.unesp.br) on 2017-12-14T11:25:03Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Thesis.pdf: 1801229 bytes, checksum: 71a64454056164c79eed45a9201789ac (MD5) / Submitted by Prieslei E. D. Goulart Santos (prieslei@ift.unesp.br) on 2017-12-14T13:50:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Thesis.pdf: 1801229 bytes, checksum: 71a64454056164c79eed45a9201789ac (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Hellen Sayuri Sato null (hellen@ift.unesp.br) on 2017-12-15T16:09:41Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 goulartsantos_ped_dr_ift.pdf: 1801229 bytes, checksum: 71a64454056164c79eed45a9201789ac (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-15T16:09:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 goulartsantos_ped_dr_ift.pdf: 1801229 bytes, checksum: 71a64454056164c79eed45a9201789ac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-11-21 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / No contexto de teorias de Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton, estudamos buracos negros, buracos de minhoca e aplicações à correspondência anti-de Sitter/Teoria de Matéria Condensada. Apresentamos a solução de buracos negro dyonica para a teoria de Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton escrita completamente em termos de constantes de integração, e então investigamos como definir parâmetros físicos dependentes e independentes. Escolhendo condições de contorno apropriadas para o dilaton no infinito, construímos buracos negros sem massa e uma ponte de Einstein-Rosen que satisfaz a condição de energia nula. Construímos uma solução carregada analítica de buraco de minhoca atravessável para a teoria de Einstein-Maxwell-phantom-dilaton que é livre de singularidades e conecta dois espaços de Minkowski. Usando o teorema de Gauss-Bonnet calculamos o ângulo de deflexão de um raio de luz que passa próximo este buraco de minhoca. Apresentamos o formalismo da função entropia de Sen e o aplicamos para o cálculo analítico da entropia do buraco negro extremo de uma teoria de supergravidade com N=8 em quatro dimensões. No contexto de holografia, calculamos coeficientes de transporte na presença de campos magnéticos para teorias com um termo topológico na ação. Definimos quantidades radialmente independentes subtraindo as correntes de magnetização, e então estudamos perturbações lineares em torno do horizonte a fim de expressar as condutividades elétrica, termoelétrica e térmica em termos de somente propriedades do horizonte. Combinamos as fórmulas para as condutividades com os dados do horizonte calculados usando o formalismo de Sen, e expressamos analiticamente as condutividades à temperatura zero para várias teorias cujas soluções de buraco negro não são conhecidas analiticamente. / In the context of Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory, we study black holes, wormholes and applications to the anti-de Sitter/Condensed Matter Theory correspondence. We present the dyonic black hole solution to the Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory written fully in terms of integration constants, and then investigate how to define dependent and independent physical parameters. Choosing appropriate boundary conditions for the dilaton at infinity, we construct massless black holes and an Einstein-Rosen bridge that satisfies the null energy condition. We construct an analytical charged traversable wormhole solution to the Einstein-Maxwell-phantom-dilaton theory which is free of singularities and connects two Minkowski spacetimes. Using the Gauss-Bonnet theorem we compute the deflection angle of a light ray passing close to this wormhole. We present the Sen's entropy function method and apply it to compute analytically the entropy of the extremal black hole of a gauged N=8 supergravity theory in four dimensions. In the holographic context, we compute the transport coefficients in the presence of magnetic fields for theories with a topological term in the action. We define radially independent quantities by subtracting off the magnetization currents, and then study linear perturbations around the horizon in order to express the electric, thermoelectric and heat conductivities in terms of horizon properties only. We combine the formulae for the conductivities with the horizon data computed using Sen's entropy function method, and express analytically the conductivities at zero temperature for several theories whose the full black hole solutions are not known analytically. / 2103/00140-7

Submitted by Tereza Cristina Ramponi (teka_ramponi@hotmail.com) on 2018-11-22T17:56:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Tereza.pdf: 1217562 bytes, checksum: b8d79b0ddc1924c97c40a224412cd9f7 (MD5) / Rejected by Ana Paula Santulo Custódio de Medeiros null (asantulo@rc.unesp.br), reason: Solicitamos que realize uma nova submissão seguindo as orientações abaixo: - Falta agradecimento à CAPES: Se você recebeu financiamento da CAPES, é necessário colocar nos agradecimentos a seguinte frase: "O presente trabalho foi realizado com apoio da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Código de Financiamento 001". Veja abaixo a portaria da CAPES: PORTARIA Nº 206, DE 4 DE SETEMBRO DE 2018 Dispõe sobre obrigatoriedade de citação da CAPES O PRESIDENTE DA COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR, no uso das atribuições que lhe foram conferidas pelo art. 26 do (a) Estatuto, aprovado (a) pelo Decreto nº 8977, de 30/01/2017, e CONSIDERANDO o indicado nos Editais da CAPES, nos Termos de Compromisso de Bolsista, nos regulamentos de bolsas no exterior e de bolsas no país, no Manual de AUXPE, e no termo de adesão ao Portal de Periódicos; CONSIDERANDO o constante dos autos do processo nº 23038.013648/2018-51, resolve: Art. 1º Os trabalhos produzidos ou publicados, em qualquer mídia, que decorram de atividades financiadas, integral ou parcialmente, pela CAPES, deverão, obrigatoriamente, fazer referência ao apoio recebido. Art. 2º Para fins de identificação da fonte de financiamento fica autorizada a utilização do código 001 para todos os financiamentos recebidos. Art. 3º Deverão ser usadas as seguintes expressões, no idioma do trabalho: "O presente trabalho foi realizado com apoio da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Código de Financiamento 001 "This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001" Art. 4º Fica o pró-reitor de pós-graduação ou congênere, responsável pela divulgação e aplicação da regra dentro das Instituições de Ensino Superior que recebem apoio da CAPES. Art. 5º A falha em obedecer esta norma implicará em mudanças eventuais nos apoios da CAPES para as instituições e pesquisadores envolvidos, a partir de 2020. Art. 6º Esta Portaria entra em vigor na data de sua publicação. ABILIO A. 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No. of bitstreams: 1 ramponi_tc_me_rcla.pdf: 1200399 bytes, checksum: d003d0863c0473e1dd98e7a7ea4aa402 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-09-28 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O objetivo desse trabalho concentra-se em estudar uma nova metodologia para resolução de problemas em matéria condensada, nos quais as partículas estão fortemente acopladas, não permitindo um tratamento perturbativo padrão. Esse método, originário da dualidade AdS/CFT (Anti-de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory), está sendo conhecido na comunidade de matéria condensada como Dualidade Holográfica. Como aplicação desta teoria, o comportamento de supercondutores foi escolhido. A metodologia da dualidade holográfica utiliza uma teoria de campos em um espaço-tempo curvo. Partindo da ação associada é possível obter as equações de movimento das partículas envolvidas. A seguir foi empregado o uso do software Mathematica-Wolfram, para a resolução das Equações Diferenciais através do Método de Frobenius. Os resultados obtidos expressam que os valores esperados de operadores, as chamadas funções de correlação, são bem similares à curva de intervalo de energia previsto pela teoria BCS em função da temperatura. Também infere-se a partir da fórmula de Kubo, que os resultados numéricos da condutividade elétrica, claramente indicam uma condutividade infinita abaixo de uma determinada temperatura crítica Tc, resultando em um supercondutor. / The objective of this work is to study a new methodology for solving problems in condensed matter, in which the particles are strongly coupled, not allowing a standard perturbative treatment. This method, originating from the AdS / CFT (Anti-Sitter / Conformal Field Theory) duality, is being known in the condensed matter community as Holographic Duality. As an application of this theory, the behavior of superconductors was chosen. The holographic duality methodology uses a field theory in a curved space-time. From the associated action it is possible to obtain the equations of motion of the particles involved. Next, the use of the Mathematica-Wolfram software was used to solve the Differential Equations by the Frobenius Method. The obtained results express that the expected values of operators, so-called correlation functions, are very similar to the energy interval curve predicted by the BCS theory as a function of temperature. It is also inferred from the Kubo formula that the numerical results of electrical conductivity clearly indicate an infinite conductivity below a given critical temperature Tc, resulting in a superconductor. / CAPES: 001

In this thesis we consider various applications the gauge/gravity duality to study transport in strongly coupled systems. The main content is organized in three parts. In the first part we investigate the interrelation between dimensionality and strength of interactions. It is known that the dynamics of systems in Condensed Matter and General Relativity simplify for high dimensionality. Therefore, in this limit of large dimensionality, analytic results are usually possible. We study the dependence of the conductivity and the entanglement entropy on the space-time dimensionality in two different models of holographic superconductors: one dual to a quantum critical point with spontaneous symmetry breaking, and the other modelled by a charged scalar that condenses at a sufficiently low temperature in the presence of a Maxwell field. In the large dimensionality limit we obtain explicit analytical results for the conductivity at zero temperature and the entanglement entropy. Our results suggest that, as dimensionality increases, the condensate interactions become weaker. In the second part we first investigate the Drude weight and the related Mazur-Suzuki (MS) bound in a broad variety of strongly coupled field theories with a gravity dual at nonzero temperature and chemical potential. We show that the MS bound, which in the context of Condensed Matter provides information on the integrability of the theory, is saturated in Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton (EMd) and R-charged backgrounds. We then explore EMd theories with U(1) spontaneous symmetry breaking, and gravity duals of non-relativistic field theories, in which the MS bound is not saturated. Finally, we study the effect of a weak breaking of translational symmetry and we show that the MS bound sets a lower bound on the DC conductivity for a given scattering time. In the last part, we study asymptotically anti de Sitter Brans-Dicke (BD) backgrounds as effective models of metals with a varying coupling constant. We show that, for translational invariant backgrounds, the zero-frequency conductivity (dc conductivity) deviates from the universal result of EMd models. Once translational symmetry is broken, the shear viscosity to entropy ratio is always lower than the Kovtun-Son-Starinets bound, in line with other gravity backgrounds with momentum relaxation. In the BD models studied, we observed insulating like features in the dc conductivity. However, the module and argument of the optical conductivity at intermediate frequencies are not consistent with cuprates experimental results, even assuming several channel of momentum relaxation. We have also included the research carried out in the first year of the PhD as appendices. The topics studied in these appendices lie outside the main framework of this thesis.