Fractals have long been recognized to be a characteristic feature arising from chaotic dynamics; be it in the form of strange attractors, of fractal boundaries around basins of attraction, or of fractal and multifractal distributions of asymptotic measures in open systems. In this thesis we study fractal and multifractal measure distributions in leaky Hamiltonian systems. Leaky systems are created by introducing a fully or partially transparent hole in an otherwise closed system, allowing trajectories to escape or lose some of their intensity. This dynamics results in intricate (multi)fractal distributions of the surviving trajectories. These systems are suitable models for experimental setups such as optical microcavities or microwave resonators. In this thesis we perform an improved investigation of the fractality in these systems using the concept of effective dimensions. They are defined as the dimensions far from the usually considered asymptotics of infinite evolution time $t$, infinite sample size $S$, and infinite resolution (infinitesimal box-size $varepsilon$). Yet, as we show, effective dimensions can be considered as intrinsic to the dynamics of the system. We present a detailed discussion of the behaviour of the numerically observed dimension $D_mathrm{obs}(S,t,varepsilon)$. We show that the three parameters can be expressed in terms of limiting length scales that define the parameter ranges in which $D_mathrm{obs}(S,t,varepsilon)$ is an effective dimension of the system. We provide dynamical and statistical arguments for the dependence of these scales on $S$, $t$, and $varepsilon$ in strongly chaotic systems and show that the knowledge of the scales allows us to define meaningful effective dimensions. We apply our results to three main fields. In the context of numerical algorithms to calculate dimensions, we show that our findings help to numerically find the range of box sizes leading to accurate results. We further show that they allow us to minimize the computational cost by providing estimates of the required sample-size and iteration time needed. A second application field of our results is systems exhibiting non-trivial dependencies of the effective dimension $D_mathrm{eff}$ on $t$ and $varepsilon$. We numerically explore this in weakly chaotic leaky systems. There, our findings provide insight into the dynamics of the systems, since deviations from our predictions based on strongly chaotic systems at a given parameter range are a sign that the stickiness inherent to such systems needs to be taken into account in that range. Lastly, we show that in quantum analogues of chaotic maps with a partial leak, a related effective dimension can be used to explain the numerically observed deviation from the predictions provided by the fractal Weyl law for systems with fully absorbing leaks. Here, we provide an analytical description of the expected scaling based on the classical dynamics of the system and compare it with numerical results obtained in the studied quantum maps. / Es ist seit langem bekannt, dass Fraktale eine charakteristische Begleiterscheinung chaotischer Dynamik sind. Sie treten in Form von seltsamen Attraktoren, von fraktalen Begrenzungen der Einzugsbereiche von Attraktoren oder von fraktalen und multifraktalen Verteilungen asymptotischer Maße in offenen Systemen auf. In dieser Arbeit betrachten wir fraktal und multifraktal verteilte Maße in geöffneten hamiltonschen Systemen. Geöffnete Systeme werden dadurch erzeugt, dass man ein völlig oder teilweise transparentes Loch im Phasenraum definiert, durch das Trajektorien entkommen können oder in dem sie einen Teil ihrer Intensität verlieren. Die Dynamik in solchen Systemen erzeugt komplexe (multi)fraktale Verteilungen der verbleibenden Trajektorien, beziehungsweise ihrer Intensitäten. Diese Systeme sind zur Modellierung experimenteller Aufbauten, wie zum Beispiel optischer Mikrokavitäten oder Mikrowellenresonatoren, geeignet. In dieser Arbeit führen wir eine verbesserte Untersuchung der Fraktalität in derartigen Systemen durch, die auf dem Konzept der effektiven Dimensionen beruht. Diese sind als die Dimensionen definiert, die weit weg von den üblicherweise betrachteten Limites unendlicher Iterationszeit $t$, unendlicher Stichprobengröße $S$ und unendlicher Auflösung, also infinitesimaler Boxgröße $varepsilon$ auftreten. Dennoch können effektive Dimensionen, wie wir zeigen, als der Dynamik des Systems inhärent angesehen werden. Wir führen eine detaillierte Diskussion der numerisch beobachteten Dimension $D_mathrm{obs}(S,t,varepsilon)$ durch und zeigen, dass die drei Parameter $S$, $t$ und $varepsilon$ in Form grenzwertiger Längenskalen ausgedrückt werden können, die die Parameterbereiche definieren, in denen $D_mathrm{obs}(S,t,varepsilon)$ den Wert einer effektiven Dimension des Systems annimmt. Wir beschreiben das Verhalten dieser Längenskalen in stark chaotischen Systemen als Funktionen von $S$, $t$ und $varepsilon$ anhand statistischer Überlegungen und anhand von auf der Dynamik basierenden Aussagen. Weiterhin zeigen wir, dass das Wissen um diese Längenskalen die Definition aussagekräftiger effektiver Dimensionen ermöglicht. Wir wenden unsere Ergebnisse hauptsächlich in drei Bereichen an: Im Kontext numerischer Algorithmen zur Dimensionsberechnung zeigen wir, dass unsere Ergebnisse es erlauben, diejenigen $varepsilon$-Bereiche zu finden, die zu korrekten Ergebnissen führen. Weiterhin zeigen wir, dass sie es uns erlauben, den Rechenaufwand zu minimieren, indem sie uns eine Abschätzung der benötigten Stichprobengröße und Iterationszeit ermöglichen. Ein zweiter Anwendungsbereich sind Systeme, die sich durch eine nichttriviale Abhängigkeit von $D_mathrm{eff}$ von $t$ und $varepsilon$ auszeichnen. Hier ermöglichen unsere Ergebnisse ein besseres Verständnis der Systeme, da Abweichungen von den Vorhersagen basierend auf der Annahme von starker Chaotizität ein Anzeichen dafür sind, dass im entsprechenden Parameterbereich die Eigenschaft dieser Systeme, dass Bereiche in ihrem Phasenraum Trajektorien für eine begrenzte Zeit einfangen können, relevant ist. Zuletzt zeigen wir, dass in quantenmechanischen Analoga chaotischer Abbildungen mit partiellen Öffnungen eine verwandte effektive Dimension genutzt werden kann, um die numerisch beobachteten Abweichungen vom fraktalen weyl'schen Gesetz für völlig transparente Öffnungen zu erklären. In diesem Zusammenhang zeigen wir eine analytische Beschreibung des erwarteten Skalierungsverhaltens auf, die auf der klassischen Dynamik des Systems basiert, und vergleichen sie mit numerischen Erkenntnissen, die wir über die Quantenabbildungen gewonnen haben.

Cette thèse est consacrée à l’étude du transport branché, de problèmes variationnels qui y sont liés et de structures fractales qui peuvent y apparaître. Le problème du transport branché consiste à connecter deux mesures de même masse par le biais d’un réseau en minimisant un certain coût, qui sera pour notre étude proportionnel à mLα afin de déplacer une masse m sur une distance L. Plusieurs modèles continus ont été proposés pour formuler le problème, et on s’intéresse plus particulièrement aux deux grands types de modèles statiques : le modèle Lagrangien et le modèle Eulérien, avec une emphase sur le premier. Après avoir posé proprement les bases de ces modèles, on établit rigoureusement leur équivalence en utilisant une décomposition de Smirnov des mesures vectorielles à divergence mesure. On s’intéresse par la suite à un problème d’optimisation de forme lié au transport branché qui consiste à déterminer les ensembles de volume 1 les plus proches de l’origine au sens du transport branché. On démontre l’existence d’une solution, décrite comme un ensemble de sous-niveau de la fonction paysage, désormais standard en transport branché. La régularité Hölder de la fonction paysage, obtenue ici sans hypothèse de régularité a priori sur la solution considérée, permet d’obtenir une borne supérieure sur la dimension de Minkowski de son bord, qui est non-entière et dont on conjecture qu’elle en est la dimension exacte. Des simulations numériques, basées sur une approximation variationnelle à la Modica-Mortola de la fonctionnelle du transport branché, ont été effectuées dans le but d’étayer cette conjecture. Une dernière partie de la thèse se concentre sur la fonction paysage, essentielle à l’étude de problèmes variationnels faisant intervenir le transport branché en ce sens qu’elle apparaît comme une variation première du coût d’irrigation. Le but est d’étendre sa définition et ses propriétés fondamentales au cas d’une source étendue, ce à quoi l’on parvient dans le cas d’un réseau possédant un système fini de racines, par exemple pour des mesures à supports disjoints. On donne une définition satisfaisante de la fonction paysage dans ce cas, qui vérifie en particulier la propriété de variation première et on démontre sa régularité Hölder sous des hypothèses raisonnables sur les mesures à connecter. / This thesis is devoted to the study of branched transport, related variational problems and fractal structures that are likely to arise. The branched transport problem consists in connecting two measures of same mass through a network minimizing a certain cost, which in our study will be proportional to mLα in order to move a mass m over a distance L. Several continuous models have been proposed to formulate this problem, and we focus on the two main static models : the Lagrangian and the Eulerian ones, with an emphasis on the first one. After setting properly the bases for these models, we establish rigorously their equivalence using a Smirnov decomposition of vector measures whose divergence is a measure. Secondly, we study a shape optimization problem related to branched transport which consists in finding the sets of unit volume which are closest to the origin in the sense of branched transport. We prove existence of a solution, described as a sublevel set of the landscape function, now standard in branched transport. The Hölder regularity of the landscape function, obtained here without a priori hypotheses on the considered solution, allows us to obtain an upper bound on the Minkowski dimension of its boundary, which is non-integer and which we conjecture to be its exact dimension. Numerical simulations, based on a variational approximation a la Modica-Mortola of the branched transport functional, have been made to support this conjecture. The last part of the thesis focuses on the landscape function, which is essential to the study of variational problems involving branched transport as it appears as a first variation of the irrigation cost. The goal is to extend its definition and fundamental properties to the case of an extended source, which we achieve in the case of networks with finite root systems, for instance if the measures have disjoint supports. We give a satisfying definition of the landscape function in that case, which satisfies the first variation property and we prove its Hölder regularity under reasonable assumptions on the measures we want to connect.

Fractals have long been recognized to be a characteristic feature arising from chaotic dynamics; be it in the form of strange attractors, of fractal boundaries around basins of attraction, or of fractal and multifractal distributions of asymptotic measures in open systems. In this thesis we study fractal and multifractal measure distributions in leaky Hamiltonian systems. Leaky systems are created by introducing a fully or partially transparent hole in an otherwise closed system, allowing trajectories to escape or lose some of their intensity. This dynamics results in intricate (multi)fractal distributions of the surviving trajectories. These systems are suitable models for experimental setups such as optical microcavities or microwave resonators. In this thesis we perform an improved investigation of the fractality in these systems using the concept of effective dimensions. They are defined as the dimensions far from the usually considered asymptotics of infinite evolution time $t$, infinite sample size $S$, and infinite resolution (infinitesimal box-size $varepsilon$). Yet, as we show, effective dimensions can be considered as intrinsic to the dynamics of the system. We present a detailed discussion of the behaviour of the numerically observed dimension $D_mathrm{obs}(S,t,varepsilon)$. We show that the three parameters can be expressed in terms of limiting length scales that define the parameter ranges in which $D_mathrm{obs}(S,t,varepsilon)$ is an effective dimension of the system. We provide dynamical and statistical arguments for the dependence of these scales on $S$, $t$, and $varepsilon$ in strongly chaotic systems and show that the knowledge of the scales allows us to define meaningful effective dimensions. We apply our results to three main fields. In the context of numerical algorithms to calculate dimensions, we show that our findings help to numerically find the range of box sizes leading to accurate results. We further show that they allow us to minimize the computational cost by providing estimates of the required sample-size and iteration time needed. A second application field of our results is systems exhibiting non-trivial dependencies of the effective dimension $D_mathrm{eff}$ on $t$ and $varepsilon$. We numerically explore this in weakly chaotic leaky systems. There, our findings provide insight into the dynamics of the systems, since deviations from our predictions based on strongly chaotic systems at a given parameter range are a sign that the stickiness inherent to such systems needs to be taken into account in that range. Lastly, we show that in quantum analogues of chaotic maps with a partial leak, a related effective dimension can be used to explain the numerically observed deviation from the predictions provided by the fractal Weyl law for systems with fully absorbing leaks. Here, we provide an analytical description of the expected scaling based on the classical dynamics of the system and compare it with numerical results obtained in the studied quantum maps. / Es ist seit langem bekannt, dass Fraktale eine charakteristische Begleiterscheinung chaotischer Dynamik sind. Sie treten in Form von seltsamen Attraktoren, von fraktalen Begrenzungen der Einzugsbereiche von Attraktoren oder von fraktalen und multifraktalen Verteilungen asymptotischer Maße in offenen Systemen auf. In dieser Arbeit betrachten wir fraktal und multifraktal verteilte Maße in geöffneten hamiltonschen Systemen. Geöffnete Systeme werden dadurch erzeugt, dass man ein völlig oder teilweise transparentes Loch im Phasenraum definiert, durch das Trajektorien entkommen können oder in dem sie einen Teil ihrer Intensität verlieren. Die Dynamik in solchen Systemen erzeugt komplexe (multi)fraktale Verteilungen der verbleibenden Trajektorien, beziehungsweise ihrer Intensitäten. Diese Systeme sind zur Modellierung experimenteller Aufbauten, wie zum Beispiel optischer Mikrokavitäten oder Mikrowellenresonatoren, geeignet. In dieser Arbeit führen wir eine verbesserte Untersuchung der Fraktalität in derartigen Systemen durch, die auf dem Konzept der effektiven Dimensionen beruht. Diese sind als die Dimensionen definiert, die weit weg von den üblicherweise betrachteten Limites unendlicher Iterationszeit $t$, unendlicher Stichprobengröße $S$ und unendlicher Auflösung, also infinitesimaler Boxgröße $varepsilon$ auftreten. Dennoch können effektive Dimensionen, wie wir zeigen, als der Dynamik des Systems inhärent angesehen werden. Wir führen eine detaillierte Diskussion der numerisch beobachteten Dimension $D_mathrm{obs}(S,t,varepsilon)$ durch und zeigen, dass die drei Parameter $S$, $t$ und $varepsilon$ in Form grenzwertiger Längenskalen ausgedrückt werden können, die die Parameterbereiche definieren, in denen $D_mathrm{obs}(S,t,varepsilon)$ den Wert einer effektiven Dimension des Systems annimmt. Wir beschreiben das Verhalten dieser Längenskalen in stark chaotischen Systemen als Funktionen von $S$, $t$ und $varepsilon$ anhand statistischer Überlegungen und anhand von auf der Dynamik basierenden Aussagen. Weiterhin zeigen wir, dass das Wissen um diese Längenskalen die Definition aussagekräftiger effektiver Dimensionen ermöglicht. Wir wenden unsere Ergebnisse hauptsächlich in drei Bereichen an: Im Kontext numerischer Algorithmen zur Dimensionsberechnung zeigen wir, dass unsere Ergebnisse es erlauben, diejenigen $varepsilon$-Bereiche zu finden, die zu korrekten Ergebnissen führen. Weiterhin zeigen wir, dass sie es uns erlauben, den Rechenaufwand zu minimieren, indem sie uns eine Abschätzung der benötigten Stichprobengröße und Iterationszeit ermöglichen. Ein zweiter Anwendungsbereich sind Systeme, die sich durch eine nichttriviale Abhängigkeit von $D_mathrm{eff}$ von $t$ und $varepsilon$ auszeichnen. Hier ermöglichen unsere Ergebnisse ein besseres Verständnis der Systeme, da Abweichungen von den Vorhersagen basierend auf der Annahme von starker Chaotizität ein Anzeichen dafür sind, dass im entsprechenden Parameterbereich die Eigenschaft dieser Systeme, dass Bereiche in ihrem Phasenraum Trajektorien für eine begrenzte Zeit einfangen können, relevant ist. Zuletzt zeigen wir, dass in quantenmechanischen Analoga chaotischer Abbildungen mit partiellen Öffnungen eine verwandte effektive Dimension genutzt werden kann, um die numerisch beobachteten Abweichungen vom fraktalen weyl'schen Gesetz für völlig transparente Öffnungen zu erklären. In diesem Zusammenhang zeigen wir eine analytische Beschreibung des erwarteten Skalierungsverhaltens auf, die auf der klassischen Dynamik des Systems basiert, und vergleichen sie mit numerischen Erkenntnissen, die wir über die Quantenabbildungen gewonnen haben.

In this dissertation we focus on the application of thermodynamic formalism to non-autonomous and random dynamical systems. Specifically we use the thermodynamic formalism to investigate the dimension of various fractal constructions via the, now standard, technique of Bowen which he developed in his 1979 paper on quasi-Fuchsian groups. Bowen showed, roughly speaking, that the dimension of a fractal is equal to the zero of the relevant topological pressure function. We generalize the results of Rempe-Gillen and Urbanski on non-autonomous iterated function systems to the setting of non-autonomous graph directed Markov systems and then show that the Hausdorff dimension of the fractal limit set is equal to the zero of the associated pressure function provided the size of the alphabets at each time step do not grow too quickly. In trying to remove these growth restrictions, we present several other systems for which Bowen's formula holds, most notably ascending systems. We then use these various constructions to investigate the Hausdorff dimension of various subsets of the Julia set for different large classes of transcendental meromorphic functions of finite order which have been perturbed non-autonomously. In particular we find lower and upper bounds for the dimension of the subset of the Julia set whose points escape to infinity, and in many cases we find the exact dimension. While the upper bound was known previously in the autonomous case, the lower bound was not known in this setting, and all of these results are new in the non-autonomous setting. We also use transfer operator techniques to prove an almost sure invariance principle for random dynamical systems for which the thermodynamical formalism has been well established. In particular, we see that if a system exhibits a fiberwise spectral gap property and the base dynamical system is sufficiently well behaved, i.e. it exhibits an exponential decay of correlations, then the almost sure invariance principle holds. We then apply these results to uniformly expanding random systems like those studied by Mayer, Skorulski, and Urbanski and Denker and Gordin.

The doctoral thesis deals with study of thermal properties of materials. Behavior of homogeneous matters at different temperatures is well described in theory and experimentally verified. Overall effect of all components of mixture and other influences related with material creation affect behaviour and properties of heterogeneous matters. For study of thermal properties can be used transient method of measurement which provide a picture about overall influence of all components of mixture on studied heterogeneous material and among others enable determination of thermophysical properties of whole macroscopic system in observed temperature range. Properties of solid matters, thin foil and liquids can be measured by means of pulse and step-wise transient method which is used for experimental activity in the thesis. It is contact measurement method and its principle is based on small quantity of heat generating inside the specimen and temperature response measuring. Theoretical part of thesis is focused on creation of method for determination of thermophysical parameters. The base is differential equation of the heat conduction. Its solution is temperature function. Three methods of evaluation are described mathematically. They start from general relations designed for study of fractal structure physical properties (maximum of function method, differential method and multi-parametric non-linear regression method).

The study of topological phases in condensed matter physics has seen remarkable advancements, primarily focusing on systems with a well-defined bulk and boundary. However, the emergence of topological phenomena on self-similar systems, characterized by the absence of a clear distinction between bulk and boundary, presents a fascinating challenge. This thesis focuses on the topological phases on self-similar systems, shedding light on their unique properties through the lens of adiabatic charge pumping. We observe that the spectral flow in these systems exhibits striking qualitative distinctions from that of translationally invariant non-interacting systems subjected to a perpendicular magnetic field. We show that the instantaneous eigenspectra can be used to understand the quantization of the charge pumped over a cycle, and hence to understand the topological character of the system. Furthermore, we establish a correspondence between the local contributions to the Hall conductivity and the spectral flow of edge-like states. We also find that the edge-like states can be approximated as eigenstates of the discrete angular-momentum operator, with their chiral characteristics stemming from this unique perspective. We also investigate the effect of local structure on the topological phases on self-similar structures embedded in two dimensions. We study a geometry dependent model on two self-similar structures having different coordination numbers, constructed from the Sierpinski gasket. For different non-spatial symmetries present in the system, we numerically study and compare the phases on both structures. We characterize these phases by the localization properties of the single-particle states, their robustness to disorder, and by using a real-space topological index. We find that both structures host topologically nontrivial phases and the phase diagrams are different on the two structures, emphasizing the interplay between non-spatial symmetries and the local structure of the self-similar unit in determining topological phases. Furthermore, we demonstrate the presence of topologically ordered chiral spin liquid on fractals by extending the Kitaev model to the Sierpinski Gasket. We show a way to perform the Jordan-Wigner transformation to make this model exactly solvable on the Sierpinski Gasket. This system exhibits a fractal density of states for Majorana modes and showcases a transition from a gapped to a gapless phase. Notably, the gapped phase features symmetry-protected Majorana corner modes, while the gapless phase harbors robust zero-energy and low-energy self-similar Majorana edge-like modes. We also study the vortex excitations, characterized by remarkable localization properties even in small fractal generations. These localized excitations exhibit anyonic behavior, with preliminary calculations hinting at their fundamental differences from Ising anyons observed in the Kitaev model on a honeycomb lattice.

Text in Afrikaans / A study of the philosophical and historical foundations of infinity highlights the problematic development of infinity. Aristotle distinguished between potential and actual infinity, but rejected the latter. Indeed, the interpretation of actual infinity leads to contradictions as seen in the paradoxes of Zeno. It is difficult for a human being to understand actual infinity. Our logical schemes are adapted to finite objects and events. Research shows that students focus primarily on infinity as a dynamic or neverending process. Individuals may have contradictory intuitive thoughts at different times without being aware of cognitive conflict. The intuitive thoughts of students about both the actual (at once) infinite and potential (successive) infinity are very complex. The problematic nature of actual infinity and the contradictory intuitive cognition should be the starting point in the teaching of the concept infinity. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Mathematic Education)

Min teori är att en av förklaringarna till naturens positiva inverkan på oss ligger i att naturen är lättläst för oss när vi avkodar vår omgivning. I naturen finns det matematiska mönster som återkommer och upprepar sig. Fibonaccis talserie, Gyllene snittet, Fyllotaxisspiralen och framförallt fraktaler. De här mönstren hjälper oss att registrera och ta in information från det vi ser i vår omvärld för att förstå den men också för att avgöra om det finns några faror eller om vi är på en trygg plats.   Inom forskning där försökspersonernas ögonrörelser studerades fann man att vi automatiskt fäster blicken vid mönster med den fraktala dimensionen 1,3 - 1,5. Vidare försök visade att testpersonerna blev som mest avslappnade när de fick se bilder med ett D-värde inom det spannet. Ytterligare stöd för växters hälsofrämjande inverkan fann jag i en rapport från ett försök där testpersonerna fick vidröra olika material med förbundna ögon. Man ville mäta både psykiska och fysiska reaktioner. Testpersonerna fick dels skatta sina upplevelser utifrån 10 par motsatsord och dels mättes deras syremättnad i blodet och det cerebrala blodflödet. Den psykologiska delen av försöket gav ett neutralt resultat men de fysiska mätvärdena indikerade att försökspersonerna blev stressade av att vidröra metall och blev mer avslappnade när de vidrörde levande växtmaterial i form av ett blad. Slutsatsen blev att fysisk kontakt med växtmaterial kan ha en lugnande effekt, trots att försökspersonen inte vet att det är växtmaterial den vidrör.   Genom att föra in dessa mönster i bostadsgården skulle den bli mer hälsofrämjande för den urbana människan. Eftersom örtskiktet idag är underrepresenterat i dessa bostadsområden har jag valt att lägga fokus på perenner som skulle lyfta in de fraktala och matematiska mönstren i den miljön. / My theory is that one of the explanations for the nature's positive impact on us is that nature is easy to read when we decode our surroundings. In nature there are mathematical patterns that recur and repeat themselves like the Fibonacci numbers, Golden Ratio, Phyllotaxis spiral and especially fractals. These patterns help us to record and take in information from what we see in our surroundings to understand it but also to determine if there is something scary or if we are in a safe place.   In research where they investigated the subjects’ eye movements it was found that we automatically attach our gaze at pattern of the fractal dimension 1.3 – 1.5. Further experiments showed that the test subjects where the most relaxed when they saw pictures with a dimension value within that range. I found additional support for plant health effects in a report from an experiment in which test subjects touched different materials blindfolded. The research team wanted to measure both psychological and physical reactions. The test subjects were instructed to value their experiences based on 10 pairs of word opposites and additionally their oxygen saturation in the blood and the cerebral blood flow were monitored. The psychological part of the trail gave a neutral result, but the physical measurements indicated that the subjects were stressed by touching metal and were more relaxed when they touched living plant material (a fresh leaf). The conclusion was that physical contact with plant material can have a calming effect, even though the subject does not know it is plant material it touches.   By bringing in these patterns to apartment house courtyards they would become more health promoting for the urban human. Since the herbal layer is underrepresented in these areas today, I have chosen to focus on perennials that would bring in the fractal and mathematical patterns in this environment.

The aim of this thesis is to develop the dimension theory of self-affine carpets in several directions. Self-affine carpets are an important class of planar self-affine sets which have received a great deal of attention in the literature on fractal geometry over the last 30 years. These constructions are important for several reasons. In particular, they provide a bridge between the relatively well-understood world of self-similar sets and the far from understood world of general self-affine sets. These carpets are designed in such a way as to facilitate the computation of their dimensions, and they display many interesting and surprising features which the simpler self-similar constructions do not have. For example, they can have distinct Hausdorff and packing dimensions and the Hausdorff and packing measures are typically infinite in the critical dimensions. Furthermore, they often provide exceptions to the seminal result of Falconer from 1988 which gives the `generic' dimensions of self-affine sets in a natural setting. The work in this thesis will be based on five research papers I wrote during my time as a PhD student. The first contribution of this thesis will be to introduce a new class of self-affine carpets, which we call box-like self-affine sets, and compute their box and packing dimensions via a modified singular value function. This not only generalises current results on self-affine carpets, but also helps to reconcile the `exceptional constructions' with Falconer's singular value function approach in the generic case. This will appear in Chapter 2 and is based on a paper which appeared in 'Nonlinearity' in 2012. In Chapter 3 we continue studying the dimension theory of self-affine sets by computing the Assouad and lower dimensions of certain classes. The Assouad and lower dimensions have not received much attention in the literature on fractals to date and their importance has been more related to quasi-conformal maps and embeddability problems. This appears to be changing, however, and so our results constitute a timely and important contribution to a growing body of literature on the subject. The material in this Chapter will be based on a paper which has been accepted for publication in 'Transactions of the American Mathematical Society'. In Chapters 4-6 we move away from the classical setting of iterated function systems to consider two more exotic constructions, namely, inhomogeneous attractors and random 1-variable attractors, with the aim of developing the dimension theory of self-affine carpets in these directions. In order to put our work into context, in Chapter 4 we consider inhomogeneous self-similar sets and significantly generalise the results on box dimensions obtained by Olsen and Snigireva, answering several questions posed in the literature in the process. We then move to the self-affine setting and, in Chapter 5, investigate the dimensions of inhomogeneous self-affine carpets and prove that new phenomena can occur in this setting which do not occur in the setting of self-similar sets. The material in Chapter 4 will be based on a paper which appeared in 'Studia Mathematica' in 2012, and the material in Chapter 5 is based on a paper, which is in preparation. Finally, in Chapter 6 we consider random self-affine sets. The traditional approach to random iterated function systems is probabilistic, but here we allow the randomness in the construction to be provided by the topological structure of the sample space, employing ideas from Baire category. We are able to obtain very general results in this setting, relaxing the conditions on the maps from `affine' to `bi-Lipschitz'. In order to get precise results on the Hausdorff and packing measures of typical attractors, we need to specialise to the setting of random self-similar sets and we show again that several interesting and new phenomena can occur when we relax to the setting of random self-affine carpets. The material in this Chapter will be based on a paper which has been accepted for publication by 'Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems'.

In this thesis examples of spectral triples, which represent fractal sets, are examined and new insights into their noncommutative geometries are obtained. Firstly, starting with Connes' spectral triple for a non-empty compact totally disconnected subset E of {R} with no isolated points, we develop a noncommutative coarse multifractal formalism. Specifically, we show how multifractal properties of a measure supported on E can be expressed in terms of a spectral triple and the Dixmier trace of certain operators. If E satisfies a given porosity condition, then we prove that the coarse multifractal box-counting dimension can be recovered. We show that for a self-similar measure μ, given by an iterated function system S defined on a compact subset of {R} satisfying the strong separation condition, our noncommutative coarse multifractal formalism gives rise to a noncommutative integral which recovers the self-similar multifractal measure ν associated to μ, and we establish a relationship between the noncommutative volume of such a noncommutative integral and the measure theoretical entropy of ν with respect to S. Secondly, motivated by the results of Antonescu-Ivan and Christensen, we construct a family of (1, +)-summable spectral triples for a one-sided topologically exact subshift of finite type (∑{{A}} {{N}}, σ). These spectral triples are constructed using equilibrium measures obtained from the Perron-Frobenius-Ruelle operator, whose potential function is non-arithemetic and Hölder continuous. We show that the Connes' pseudo-metric, given by any one of these spectral triples, is a metric and that the metric topology agrees with the weak*-topology on the state space {S}(C(∑{{A}} {{N}}); {C}). For each equilibrium measure ν[subscript(φ)] we show that the noncommuative volume of the associated spectral triple is equal to the reciprocal of the measure theoretical entropy of ν[subscript(φ)] with respect to the left shift σ (where it is assumed, without loss of generality, that the pressure of the potential function is equal to zero). We also show that the measure ν[subscript(φ)] can be fully recovered from the noncommutative integration theory.