We study a family of random walks defined on certain Euclidean lattices that are related to incidence matrices of balanced incomplete block designs. We estimate the return probability of these random walks and use it to determine the asymptotics of the number of balanced incomplete block design matrices. We also consider the problem of collisions of independent simple random walks on graphs. We prove some new results in the collision problem, improve some existing ones, and provide counterexamples to illustrate the complexity of the problem.

Dentre os observáveis globais que permitem caracterizar a colisão entre íons pesados relativísticos, a multiplicidade de partículas é uma das variáveis mais fundamentais, diretamente ligada à densidade de energia da colisão. Serão apresentados resultados do estudo de multiplicidade de partículas carregadas para colisões centrais entre íons de chumbo a energias de 2.76 TeV (energia no centro de massa) utilizando o detector ATLAS no Large Hadron Collider (LHC). A multiplicidade na produção de partículas carregadas é medida utilizando dois métodos diferentes entre o intervalo de pseudorapidez || < 2.5 empregando o sistema de detectores semicondutores centrais de trajetórias do ATLAS. A seleção de eventos é crucial para esta análise e é aplicada a dados obtidos através de um trigger de minimum bias, impondo-se a coincidência entre o sinal do calorímetro de zero grau (ZDC) (|| > 8.3) e a coincidência entre o sinal do Minimum Bias Trigger Scintilator (MBTS) (2.1< || <3.8), de forma a remover da amostra de dados os eventos decorrentes da dissociação eletromagnética. Neste trabalho, eventos produzidos pelo gerador de eventos HIJING também foram analisados e os dados simulados reconstruídos utilizando-se os mesmos algoritmos empregados na análise dos dados reais. A multiplicidade e a densidade inclusiva de partículas foram medidas para as colisões mais centrais e estão em bom acordo com os resultados obtidos por outros experimentos. / From the global observables that allows the characterization of the heavy ion collisions at relativistic energies, the particle multiplicity is one of the most fundamental observables, directly related to the energy density of the collision. There will be presented results about the study of central collision charged particle multiplicity in Pb - Pb collisions at the 2.76 TeV center of mass energy using the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The particle multiplicity is measured using two different methods in the || < 2:5 rapidity interval, deploying the ATLAS inner tracker semiconductor system. The event selection plays a crucial role in this analysis and is applied on data acquired using a minimum bias trigger. Imposing the condition of coincidence between the two Zero Degree Calorimeters (ZDC) arms (|| > 8.3) and the coincidence of the Minimum Bias Trigger Scintillator (MBTS) detector (2.1 < || <3.8) the electromagnetic dissociation events are removed from the sample. For this work, events produced by the HIJING event generator were also analyzed and the simulated data was reconstructed using the same algorithms used on data. The multiplicities and inclusive particle density measured for most central collisions are in good agreement with the ones measured by other experiments.

Neste trabalho reportamos a produção da primeira armadilha magneto-ótica que confina simultaneamente duas espécies atômicas distintas: Sódio e Potássio. Para podermos realizar este aprisionamento, foi necessário vencer algumas dificuldades técnicas que justificam, inclusive, a escolha dos elementos utilizados. Nossa armadilha também foi utilizada para realizar o primeiro estudo de colisões frias entre átomos de espécies diferentes. Experimentalmente, as informações sobre essas colisões são obtidas através da medida da dinâmica de perdas da armadilha de S6dio em presença e ausência de átomos frios de Potássio. Observamos que o efeito de colisões heteronucleares e dez vezes menor do que as homonucleares. Esta diferença já era esperada devido ao menor alcance dos potenciais de interação entre átomos no caso de espécies distintas. Nossos resultados são comparados a uma teoria semi-clássica simples e se encontram em bom acordo com as previsões. Introduzimos uma nova técnica que consiste em mudar repentinamente a intensidade do laser aprisionador e observar a variação do número de átomos aprisionados. Medimos a taxa de perdas por colisão entre átomos de Potássio frios como função da intensidade do laser aprisionador. Essa técnica nos permite alcançar o regime de baixas intensidades, inclusive abaixo da intensidade de saturação, sem as limitações da técnica tradicional. Aplicamos essa técnica ao aprisionamento simultâneo e medimos a taxa de perdas por colisão do sódio na presença e ausência de potássio. Com essa medida somos capazes de estimar a seção e choque entre sódio e potássio ambos no estado fundamental / In this thesis we report the production of the first magneto-optical trap that confines simultaneously two atomic species, sodium and potassium. In order to realize this experiment we had to overcome some technical difficulties that justified our choice of these two elements. This trap was used to study cold collisions between two different species. The information about these collisions is obtained experimentally from the dynamics of the sodium trap loss process in the presence and absence of potassium atoms. We observed that the heteronuclear effect is ten times smaller than the homonuclear one. This difference is explained by the smaller range of the interaction potentials between different species. Our results are compared with the theoretical predictions of the semi-classical theory and show a good agreement with the predictions. We have introduced a new technique which consists of a sudden decrease of the laser intensity, after which we observe the temporal variation in the number of trapped atoms. We have measured the loss rate coefficient between cold potassium atoms as a function of light intensity of the trapping laser. This technique allowed us to reach the very low intensity regime, as low as 30% of the saturation intensity, without compromising the loading process. We applied this technique to the simultaneous trapping and measured the loss rate coefficient between cold sodium atoms in the presence and absence of cold potassium atoms. With this measurement we can estimate the value of the cross section between sodium and potassium in the ground state

Deux domaines différents de la physique des collisions ont fait l’objet de mes travaux de thèse réalisés dans le cadre d'une cotutelle entre l'Université Moulay Ismail, Meknes-Maroc et l'Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris-France: le premier concerne les collisions ion-atome/molécule dans le régime des énergies intermédiaires (keV), alors que le second vise le domaine des collisions électron-atome assistées par un champ laser intense. Bien que distincts, les deux thèmes sont interconnectés puisqu'il s'agit principalement d'étudier, dans des approches non-perturbatives, les phénomènes de diffusion et la dynamique électronique des collisions de cibles atomiques et moléculaires soumis à de fortes et très courtes perturbations. La première partie porte spécifiquement sur la modélisation des processus de transfert électronique et d'ionisation induits lors de collisions d'ions et de cibles atomiques et moléculaires. L'étude porte particulièrement sur les phénomènes d'interférences de type Young, de multi-diffusion et de diffraction Fraunhofer observés au cours de ces processus. La deuxième partie de thèse repose sur une étude des processus de diffusion élastiques et inélastiques induits lors de collisions assistées par un champ laser intense. L'étude s’appuie sur l’analyse spécifique des transitions "libre-libre" au cours lesquelles la cible reste dans son état fondamental après la collision, et des phénomènes de résonance dans le processus d'excitation simultanée électron-photon de la cible. / This work has been performed as a joint PhD between Université Moulay Ismail, Meknes-Morocco, and Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris-France. It concerns two different areas of collision physics: the first part of my research covers the study of ion-atom/molecule collisions in the intermediate energies (keV) , while the second deals with laser-assisted electron-atom scattering. The two subjects are interconnected since both concern the description of electronic processes occurring in scattering events and the study of highly non linear response of atomic and molecular targets to high or short time-dependent perturbations. The first part of the thesis focuses specifically on the modeling of electron transfer and ionization processes induced in collisions of ions and atomic/molecular targets. My work concentrates mainly on the phenomena of Young-type interferences, multi-scattering and Fraunhofer diffraction observed during these processes. The second part concerns the study of elastic and inelastic processes induced in electron-atom collisions in the presence of a strong laser field. The investigations focus on free, free transitions, in which the target remains in its initial state after the collision, and resonance phenomena in more complex processes where the target is simultaneously excited by the the electron-projectile and the radiation and when collisional and radiative interactions are strong enough to concurrently modify the internal state of the target

M.Phil. (Chemistry) / This project concerns the study of , specifically, the incomplete fusion mechanism. The nuclear reaction 7Li + 176Yb at 50 MeV was therefore carried out using the AFRODITE and DIAMANT facility of iThemba LABS. A 7Li nuclide is considered suitable for the breakup fusion (incomplete fusion) reaction because of its well developed cluster structure of an -particle and triton which are weakly bound in this nucleus. One of the breakup fragments may be captured by the target while the other escapes at the beam velocity. Light charged-particles (alpha, tritons, deuterons and protons) were detected with the DIAMANT (CsI) array in co-incidence with gammarays detected by the AFRODITE (HPGe) spectrometer. The light particle detection in co-incidence with gamma detection was an important innovation that allowed exclusivity in the reconstruction of the mechanism by which specific residues were produced. Off-line data processing was used to produce charged-particle-gated gamma-gamma coincidence matrices which were analysed with the RADWARE software package. The level scheme exclusive to a particular channel for the production of the 178Hf was extracted. The relative cross-section for the various reaction channels could also therefore be extracted. In particular, the intensity ratios of gamma transitions as function of spin for proton to triton-gated matrices populating the 178Hf isotope were extracted. Insights could be developed into the incomplete fusion reaction mechanisms initiated by the breakup of the incident 7Li projectile.

No description available.

No description available.

Les données moléculaires précises, comme les taux de collisions, sont très important pour interpréter les observations de raies moléculaires, et par conséquent, pour estimer la abondance moléculaire dans le milieu interstellaire. Nous avons utilisé différents approximations quantiques pour étudier les excitations rotationnelles de AlCN(1Σ), AlNC(1Σ), MgCN(2Σ), MgNC(2Σ), SiCN(2∏) et SiNC(2∏) à cause des collisions avec atomes de He . On a utilisé He pour simuler les collisions avec H2 en multipliant les taux par un facteur d'échelle. Nous avons aussi étudié le excitation rotationnel de HCN(1Σ) à cause des collisions avec H2. Puis, des calculs de transfert radiatif on été faite pour estimer la abondance relative du isomères dans différentes régions du milieu interstellaire. Malgré les caractéristiques spectroscopiques semblables des isomères, ce travail démontre l'importance d'effectuer des calculs des taux de collisions séparément pour chaque isomère, afin d'obtenir leur abondances. / Accurate molecular data, such collisional rate coefficients, are essential to model molecular lines and then to estimate molecular abundances in the interstellar medium (ISM). For this reason, we have used quantum approximations to study the rotational (de-)excitation of AlCN(1Σ), AlNC(1Σ), MgCN(2Σ), MgNC(2Σ), SiCN(2∏) and SiNC(2∏) molecules by collisions with He, as a model of H2. We have also considered the rotational (de-)excitation of HCN(1Σ) molecules by ortho-H2 and para-H2 molecules.Then, we have performed radiative transfer calculations in order to estimate the relative abundances of cyanide/isocyanide species in the ISM. The impact of our molecular data in the simulation of molecular emissions is discussed. Despite the similar spectroscopic characteristics of the isomers, this work demonstrates the importance of conducting separate collisional rate calculations for each isomer in order to obtain their abundances.

Jet production in PbPb collisions at a per-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV has been studied using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Interactions between the high- pT partons and the hot, dense medium, produced in these ultrarelativistic collisions, are expected to cause the loss of the jet energy (jet quenching). This thesis presents results of the jet analysis done on the data taken during the 2011 heavy-ion run at the LHC as well as PYTHIA Monte Carlo reference. Jets are reconstructed using the anti-kt jet clustering algorithm and studied as a function of collision centrality and dijet energy imbalance. With increasing centrality, dijets are observed to be increasingly asymmetric, consistent with the theory of jet quenching. The study of charged particle tracks indicates the increase of the low-pT tracks in the strongly quenched jets. 1

The differential and total inelastic cross sections for electron-mercury atom collisions were calculated using the Born approximation together with the Ochkur approximation for the transitions (^1S_0 -> ^3P_0), (^1S_0 -> ^3P_2), (^3P_0 -> ^1S_0), and (^3P_2 -> ^1S_0) at one eV energy intervals from 1 eV - 33 eV above threshold. A reprint of work previously published containing values for polarizabilities of all the atoms is contained in Appendix B.