In a preamble, a quick summary of the line of thought from Noether's theorems to modern views on conserved charges in gauge theories is attempted. Most of the background material needed for the thesis is set out through a small survey of the literature. Emphasis is put on the concepts more than on the formalism, which is relegated to the appendices.<p><p>The treatment of exact conservation laws in Lagrangian gauge theories constitutes the main axis of the first part of the thesis. The formalism is developed as a self-consistent theory but is inspired by earlier works, mainly by cohomological results, covariant phase space methods and by the Hamiltonian formalism.<p>The thermodynamical properties of black holes, especially the first law, are studied in a general geometrical setting and are worked out for several black objects: black holes, strings and rings. Also, the geometrical and thermodynamical properties of a new family of black holes with closed timelike curves in three dimensions are described.<p><p><p>The second part of the thesis is the natural generalization of the first part to asymptotic analyses. We start with a general construction of covariant phase spaces admitting asymptotically conserved charges. The representation of the asymptotic symmetry algebra by a covariant Poisson bracket among the conserved charges is then defined and is shown to admit generically central extensions. The asymptotic structures of three three-dimensional spacetimes are then studied in detail and the consequences for quantum gravity in three dimensions are discussed. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Masters thesis of Liam Farrell, under the supervision of Dr. Duncan O'Dell. Successfully defended on August 26, 2021. / Caustics are regions created by the natural focusing of waves. Some examples include rainbows, spherical aberration, and sonic booms. The intensity of a caustic is singular in the classical ray theory, but can be smoothed out by taking into account the interference of waves. Caustics are generic in nature and are universally described by the mathematical theory known as catastrophe theory, which has successfully been applied to physically describe a wide variety of phenomena. Interestingly, caustics can exist in quantum mechanical systems in the form of phase singularities. Since phase is such a central concept in wave theory, this heralds the breakdown of the wave description of quantum mechanics and is in fact an example of a quantum catastrophe. Similarly to classical catastrophes, quantum catastrophes require some previously ignored property or degree of freedom to be taken into account in order to smooth the phase divergence. Different forms of spontaneous pair-production appear to suffer logarithmic phase singularities, specifically Hawking radiation from gravitational black holes. This is known as the trans-Planckian problem. We will investigate Hawking radiation formed in an analogue black hole consisting of a flowing ultra-cold Bose-Einstein condensate. By moving from an approximate hydrodynamical continuum description to a quantum mechanical discrete theory, the phase singularity is cured. We describe this process, and make connections to a new theory of logarithmic catastrophes. We show that our analogue Hawking radiation is mathematically described by a logarithmic Airy catastrophe, which further establishes the plausibility of pair-production being a quantum catastrophe / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

We study constraints imposed on a general unitary two-dimensional conformal field theory by modular invariance. We begin with a review of previous bounds on the conformal dimension Delta1 of the lowest primary operator assuming unitarity, a discrete spectrum, modular invariance, cL, cR > 1, and no extended chiral algebra. We then obtain bounds on the conformal dimensions Delta2, Delta3 using no additional assumptions. We also show that in order to find a bound for Delta4 or higher Deltan, we need to assume a larger minimum value for ctot that grows logarithmically with n. We next extend the previous results to remove the requirement that our two-dimensional conformal field theories have no extended chiral algebra. We then show that modular invariance also implies an upper bound on the total number of states of positive energy less than ctot=24 (or equivalently, states of conformal dimension between ctot=24 and ctot=12), in terms of the number of negative energy states. Finally, we consider the case where the CFT has a gravitational dual and investigate the gravitational interpretation of our results. Using the AdS3/CFT2 correspondence, we obtain an upper bound on the lightest few massive excitations (both with and without the constraint of no chiral primary operators) in a theory of 3D matter and gravity with Lambda < 0. We show our results are consistent with facts and expectations about the spectrum of BTZ black holes in 2+1 gravity. We then discuss the upper and lower bounds on number of states and primary operators in the dual gravitational theory, focusing on the case of AdS3 pure gravity.

We will consider the scenario of the co-rotation of a fluid star (in specific, a neutron star) and a black hole. The neutron star (or primary)is assumed to have constant angular velocity. The tidal effects on the primary are investigated. First, the centrally condensed approximation is applied, where both bodies are considered as point sources. In the second treatment, the primary is treated as an incompressible and homogeneous fluid mass, which in addition to its own gravity is subject to centrifugal and Coriolis forces, derived from fluid motions. The black hole (or secondary) is treated as a rigid sphere and can be regarded as a point mass. The equilibrium figure is derived. The problem is then adapted to include vorticity and a pseudo-Newtonian potential. The coalescence of neutron star - black hole binaries and their importance to gravitational wave detection is also discussed. / Mathematical Sciences / M. Sc. (Applied Mathematics)

Black hole jets and accretion discs are the most extreme objects in modern astrophysics whilst dark energy is undoubtedly the most mysterious. This thesis focuses on understanding these three topics. The majority of this thesis is dedicated to investigating the structure and properties of black hole jets by modelling their emission. I develop an inhomogeneous jet model with a magnetically dominated parabolic accelerating base, transitioning to a slowly decelerating conical jet, with a geometry set by radio observations of M87. This model is able to reproduce the simultaneous multiwavelength spectra of all 38 Fermi blazars with redshifts in unprecendented detail across all wavelengths. I constrain the synchrotron bright region of the jet to occur outside the BLR and dusty torus for FSRQs using the optically thick to thin synchrotron break. At these large distances their inverse-Compton emission originates from scattering CMB photons. I find an approximately linear relation between the jet power and the transition region radius where the jet first comes into equipartition, transitions from parabolic to conical and stops accelerating. The decreasing magnetic field strength and increasing bulk Lorentz factor with jet power are the physical reasons behind the blazar sequence. I calculate the conditions for instability in a thin accretion disc with an α parameter which depends on the magnetic Prandtl number, as suggested by MHD simulations. The global behaviour of the instability induces cyclic flaring in the inner regions of the disc, for parameters appropriate for X-ray binary systems, thereby offering a potential solution to a long standing problem. Finally, I calculate the effect of an interacting quintessence model of dark energy on cosmological observables. I find that a scalar-tensor type interaction in the dark sector results in an observable increase in the matter power spectrum and integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect at horizon scales.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this thesis I study compact objects described by the Manko-Novikov spacetime. The Manko- Novikov spacetime is an exact solution to the Einstein Field Equations that allows objects to be black hole-like, but with a multipole structure di erent from Kerr black holes. The aim of the research is to investigate whether we will observationally be able to tell these bumpy black holes, if they exist, apart from traditional Kerr black holes. I explore the geodesic motion of a test probe in the Manko-Novikov spacetime. I quantify the motion using Poincar e maps and rotation curves. The Manko-Novikov spacetime admits regions with regular motion as well as regions with chaotic motion. The occurrence of chaos is correlated with orbits for which the characteristic frequencies are resonant. The new result presented in this thesis is a global characterisation of where resonances and thus chaos are likely to occur for all orbits. These calculations are performed in the Kerr spacetime, from which I obtain that low order resonances occur within 20 Schwarzschild radii (or 40M) of the compact object with mass M. By the KAM theorem, the occurrence of chaos is therefore limited to this region for all small perturbations from Kerr. These resonant events will be measurable in the Galactic Centre using eLISA. This con nement of low order resonances indicates that the frequency values of orbits of radii well outside of 20 Schwarzschild radii can be approximated using canonical perturbation theory. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie tesis word kompakte voorwerpe bestudeer soos omskryf deur die Manko-Novikov ruimtetyd. Die Manko-Novikov ruimtetyd is 'n eksakte oplossing van die Einstein Veldvergelykings. Die Manko-Novikov ruimtetyd formuleer gravitasiekolk-tipe voorwerpe waarvan die veelpool-struktuur afwyk van die tradisionele Kerr gravitasiekolk-struktuur. Die oogmerk van die navorsing is om vas te stel of ons met behulp van waarnemings hierdie bonkige gravitasiekolke van die tradisionele Kerr gravitasiekolke kan onderskei. Ek ondersoek die geodetiese beweging van 'n toetsmassa in die Manko-Novikov ruimtetyd. Die beweging word gekwanti seer met behulp van Poincar e afbeeldings en rotasiekrommes. In die Manko-Novikov ruimtetyd identi seer ek gebiede waarbinne re elmatige beweging voorkom asook gebiede waarbinne chaotiese bane voorkom. Die ontstaan van chaos word geassosieer met bane waarvan die fundamentele frekwensies resonant is. 'n Nuwe resultaat wat in hierdie tesis voorgehou word behels 'n globale karakterisering wat aandui waar resonansies en dus chaos na alle waarskynlikheid voorkom. Laasgenoemde berekeninge word vir die Kerr ruimtetyd uitgevoer. Hierdeur toon ek alle lae orde resonansies kom voor binne 20 Schwarzschild radii (of 40M) vanaf die kompakte voorwerp met mass M. Die KAM Stelling bepaal dan dat vir alle klein steurings toegepas op die Kerr ruimtetyd die voorkoms van chaos beperk sal wees tot bogenoemde gebied. Die resonansies binne hierdie gebied sal deur eLISA in die sentrum van die melkwegstelsel gemeet kan word. Hierdie beperking van lae orde resonansies tot 'n sekere afstand vanaf die kompakte voorwerp verseker dat die frekwensies van bane wat buite hierdie gebied val, akkuraat deur kanoniese steuringsteorie bepaal kan word.

Over recent years there has been an increase of the number of secure supermassive black hole (SMBH) detections. These SMBH measurements have lead astronomers to establish well defined empirical relationships between the SMBH mass and some of the properties of the host galaxy. The number of galaxies with SMBH mass measurements is currently limited to about 100. One approach of expanding the study of the SMBH is to use the empirical relations for estimating M[subscript(bh)] for larger samples of galaxies. The investigation of the SMBH population (or SMBH mass function) for large sample of galaxies in the nearby universe has helped to constrain the SMBH and the galaxy evolution. Previous estimates of the SMBH mass function at low redshift were produced mainly by combining the measurements of the galaxy luminosity or velocity function with one of the SMBH scaling relations. In the first part of the thesis I will present an independent construction of the nearby supermassive black hole mass function by applying the optical M[subscript(bh)]–L relation onto the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue (MGC). Additionally, in the second part I will provide photometric analysis of all UKIDSS galaxies for which SMBH masses have been measured. I will derive composite profiles of brightness, ellipticity and position angles of each galaxy. I will show that the Sérsic function fits the brightness profile of the majority of the elliptical galaxies and the bulge of disk galaxies and I will provide alternative multi-component fits when necessary. Then these photometric parameters will be used for constructing the M[subscript(bh)]–L relation in the near-IR and to investigate the M[subscript(bh)]–n relation. In the third part I will construct the near-IR SMBH mass function for the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. For this purpose I will apply the newly derived M[subscript(bh)]–L relation onto an elliptical subsample of K-band images. The advantage of this SMBH mass function is that during the M[subscript(bh)]–L construction I used the same quality images and techniques used on the GAMA survey. Apart from the M[subscript(bh)]–L relation, the M[subscript(bh)]–sigma relation was used as an alternative approach for a subsample of galaxies for which the velocity dispersions were available. Furthermore, I employed both local SMBH mass functions (MGC & GAMA) for estimating the SMBH mass density at redshift zero and accounted for the dependence of the total SMBH density on the look-back time by comparing with semi-analytic SMBH mass functions. Finally, from the SMBH mass density I estimated the baryon fraction that is locked into SMBHs.

I modify the quasilocal energy formalism of Brown and York into a purely Hamiltonian form. As part of the reformulation, I remove their restriction that the time evolution of the boundary of the spacetime be orthogonal to the leaves of the time foliation. Thus the new formulation allows an arbitrary evolution of the boundary which physically corresponds to allowing general motions of the set of observers making up that boundary. I calculate the rate of change of the quasilocal energy in such situations, show how it transforms with respect to boosts of the boundaries, and use the Lanczos-Israel thin shell formalism to reformulate it from an operational point of view. These steps are performed both for pure gravity and gravity with attendant matter fields. I then apply the formalism to characterize naked black holes and study their properties, investigate gravitational tidal heating, and combine it with the path integral formulation of quantum gravity to analyze the creation of pairs of charged and rotating black holes. I show that one must use complex instantons to study this process though the probabilities of creation remain real and consistent with the view that the entropy of a black hole is the logarithm of the number of its quantum states.

Les trous noirs sont étudiés d'un point de vue théorique. Les propriétés thermodynamiques et quantiques des trous noirs sont abordées à travers des nouvelles perspectives. On explore différents problèmes logiquement reliés: depuis les lois de la mécanique des trous noirs, en passant par la function partition Euclidienne des trous noirs, jusqu'aux modèles microscopiques quantiques et granulaires.L'approche repose sur deux principes: la thermodynamique importante pour les trous noirs se situe près de l'horizon et la géométrie quantique de l'espace-temps est granuleuse.On examine la première loi de la mécanique des trous noirs avec une perspective quasilocal basée sur des observateurs près de l'horizon. Il s'avère que la première loi peut être simplement reformulée comme la variation de l'aire de l'horizon. Ensuite, on examine la fonction de partition Euclidienne à partir de la nouvelle perspective quasilocal, et on reproduit l'entropie de Bekenstein-Hawking ainsi que l'energie quasilocal nouvellement introduite.L'approche quasilocal peut être abordée par un point de vue basé sur les Horizons Isolés. Dans ce cadre, on explore la quantification de l'Horizon Isolé rotatoire, en analysant la structure symplectique, et en utilisant l'espace de Hilbert de la Gravitation Quantique à Boucles.Finalement, on étudie les conséquences macroscopiques du modèle granulaire quantique basé sur la Gravitation Quantique à Boucles. L'accent est mis sur le modèle de trou noir en rotation, les résultats ne sont pas concluants du fait que plusieurs hypothèses doivent être posées. Cependant, la perspective est prometteuse. Certains des résultats, comme l'entropie, peuvent être reproduits. / Black holes are studied from a theoretical point of view. The thermodynamics and quantum properties are addressed from a new perspective. A range of logically connected problems are explored: Starting from the laws of black hole mechanics, going through the Euclidean partition function, to the microscopic quantum granular models.The approach is supported by two guiding principles: What is physically relevant for black hole thermodynamics lays close to the horizon and the quantum geometry of the spacetime is coarse-grained.The first law of black hole mechanics is reviewed from the new quasilocal perspective based on near horizon observers. It turns out that the first law can be reformulated as variations of the area of the horizon. On the same grounds, the semiclassical Euclidean partition function is reviewed from the new quasilocal perspective. The framework reproduces the classic Bekenstein-Hawking entropy and the newly introduced quasilocal energy.The quasilocal approach can also be addressed by using Isolated Horizons. The quantization procedures are explored for the rotating Isolated Horizon starting from a symplectic structure analysis, and using the Loop Quantum Gravity Hilbert space. Finally, through a statistical analysis, the macroscopic consequences of the quantum granular model based on the Loop Quantum Gravity approach are studied. Special emphasis is put on the rotating quantum black hole model, however the results are not conclusive as several assumptions should be made on the way. Nevertheless, the perspective is promising as some of the semiclassical results, for instance the entropy, can be reproduced.

The local universe is dominated by quiescent galaxies with little or no ongoing star formation. Once star formation has been shut down in a possible quasar phase, energy feedback in the form of outflows from a supermassive black hole (SMBH) accreting at a low rate is one of the leading candidates for heating up or removing gas accreted afterwards. In this work we performed hydrodynamic simulations of radiatively inefficient accretion flows around supermassive black holes and investigate the generation of outflows by the accretion flow. We found that hot accretion flows can produce powerful subrelativistic winds that carry considerable amounts of energy away and they can provide feedback inside the host galaxy. / O universo local é dominado por galáxias quiescentes com pouca, ou nenhuma, taxa atual de formação estelar. Uma vez que a formação estelar é suprimida numa possível fase de quasar do núcleo ativo da galáxia, o feedback de energia na forma de outflows do buraco negro supermassivo acretando a pequenas taxas é um dos principais candidatos a aquecer ou remover o gás do sistema. Nesse trabalho, executamos simulações hidrodinâmicas de escoamentos acretivos radiativamente ineficientes ao redor de buracos negros supermassivos e investigamos a geração de outflows pelo escoamento. Encontramos que escoamentos acretivos quentes podem produzir ventos subrelativísticos poderosos que carregam para fora consideráveis quantidades de energia e que podem providenciar feedback dentro da galáxia hospedeira.