Agglomeration of nanoparticles occurs in a number of colloidal systems related, for example, to material processing and drug delivery. The present work is motivated by the need to improve fundamental understanding of the agglomeration and structure formation processes that occur in catalyst inks used for the fabrication of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFCs). Particle dynamics simulations are performed to investigate agglomeration under various conditions. The interaction between particles is defined using realistic physical potentials, rather than commonly used potential models, and a novel analysis of the agglomeration and structure formation process is performed using network science concepts. The simulated systems correspond to catalyst inks consisting primarily of carbon nanoparticles in solution. The effect of various conditions such as different force magnitude, shape of the force function, concentration etc. are investigated in terms of network science parameters such as average degree and shortest path. An "agglomeration timescale" and a "restructuring timescale" introduced to interpret the evolution of the agglomeration process suggest that the structure, which has a strong impact on the performance of the eventual catalyst layer, can be controlled by tuning the rate at which particles are added based on the restructuring timescale. / Graduate

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第23007号 / 理博第4684号 / 新制||理||1672(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科物理学・宇宙物理学専攻 / (主査)教授 嶺重 慎, 准教授 前田 啓一, 教授 太田 耕司 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第18795号 / 理博第4053号 / 新制||理||1583(附属図書館) / 31746 / 京都大学大学院理学研究科物理学・宇宙物理学専攻 / (主査)教授 嶺重 慎, 教授 太田 耕司, 准教授 樽家 篤史 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

In this thesis, we construct a new optimal contractivity-preserving (CP) explicit, 2-step, 6-stage, 6-derivative, Hermite--Birkhoff--Obrechkoff method of order 13, denoted by HBO(13) with nonnegative coefficients, for solving nonstiff first-order initial value problems y'=f(t,y), y(t_0)=y_0. This new method is the combination of a CP 2-step, 6-derivative, Hermite--Obrechkoff of order 9, denoted by HO(9), and a 6-stage Runge-Kutta method of order 5, denoted by RK(6,5). The new HBO(13) method has order 13. We compare this new method, programmed in Matlab, to Adams-Bashforth-Moulton method of order 13 in PECE mode, denoted by ABM(13), by testing them on several frequently used test problems, and show that HBO(13) is more efficient with respect to the CPU time, the global error at the endpoint of integration and the relative energy error. We show that the new HBO(13) method has a larger scaled interval of absolute stability than ABM(13) in PECE mode.

The recent boom in 21cm astronomy has piqued the interest of many, especially cosmologists realizing its applications in their field. This study aims to determine if 21cm astronomy is a good tool for testing the validity of keV WDM models, as well as creating a code capable of simulating keV WDM models from an existing CDM code. The assumed WDM models vary only in dark matter particle mass and assume a single-species dark matter case as well as totally thermalized particles, such as gravitinos. Small-scale simulations of approximately 183Mpc3, as well as large-scale simulations of approximately 1503Mpc3-1793Mpc3, indicated that the CDM code was successfully modified to simulate WDM through the total dark matter power spectrum and the halo-mass function. Additionally, the large-scale simulations hinted at a positive use of 21cm astronomy for the restriction of keV WDM models, due to the existence of a distinct CDM HI power spectrum as compared to the 0.5keV WDMHI power spectrum. A discernable difference between CDM and keV WDM galactic HI power spectra would provide a step towards a confirmation or falsification of keV WDM models if supplied with a large-scale galactic HI power spectrum study

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Measuring the evolution of the abundance of galaxy clusters puts constraints on cosmological parameters like the cosmological density parameter m, σ8 and the dark energy equation of state parameter, w. Current observations that promise to give large cluster counts and their properties are those that rely on the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect (SZE) from clusters. We study the contamination of the SZ signals from galaxy clusters by cluster infrared (IR) galaxies and particularly faint IR galaxies. We use the Millennium simulation database to extract galaxy clusters and deduce contaminant IR fluxes using the star formation rate - IR luminosity relations. We use the IR spectral energy distribution(SED) to obtain the monochromatic fluxes at 145 GHz, 217 GHz and 265 GHz, which are the observation frequencies of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). Taking ACT as a case study, we selected all clusters with Mvir ≥ 2 × 1014 M⊙, and consider all galaxies in a cluster with star formation rate sfr ≥ 0.2 M⊙yr−1 as IR galaxies. From the fluxes of these selected sources, we compute their contribution to the SZE temperature fluctuations.We find that the galaxies in clusters have a non-neglible contribution to the SZ signals.In massive and rich clusters the contribution can be as high as 100 μK at z = 0.36,which is substantial when compared to the thermal SZE of & 270μK for such clusters.This effect can be reduced significantly if proper modelling of IR sources is done to pick out the point sources within clusters. We also find that irrespective of the mass range,the average contaminant temperature fluctuation T can be modelled as a power-law: T = Czm, where z is the redshift, m = 1.8 ± 0.07 and C takes on a range of values(0.008 to 0.9) depending on the cluster mass and the observation frequency respectively.We also study some properties of simulated galaxy clusters like substructures in clusters,2D projected distributions and number density profiles, which are all discussed in the results.

Planetary systems are not only composed of planets, but also of km-sized rocky and icy bodies that are confined within belts similar to the Asteroid and Kuiper belt in the Solar System. Mutual collisions within these belts grind down solids producing dust and giving rise to debris discs. Primitive asteroids and comets likely played a major role in the emergence of life on Earth through their delivery of volatiles early in the lifetime of our planet. Cometary impacts, therefore, could be a necessary condition for the emergence of life in exoplanets and the study of debris discs essential to determine the ubiquity of such phenomenon. Moreover, exocometary discs provide a unique window into the origins and outer regions of planetary systems as comets do within our Solar System. Initially, in Chapter 1 I present an overview of the study of exoplanetary systems, focusing on debris discs. I discuss the basics of planet formation, its connection with debris discs, and how these evolve and interact with planets. I also describe how we observe these discs and probe their volatile component that is locked inside exocomets, and some evidence supporting the idea of exocomets venturing into the inner regions of planetary systems. Then, in Chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5 I present new ALMA observations of the systems HD 181327, η Corvi, the multiplanet system 61 Vir and HD 107146, which host debris discs. In the first two, I highlight the derivation of the density structure of their discs and the detection of volatiles being released by exocomets; while in the third and fourth I compare the observations with simulations, which I use to set constraints on the underlying planetesimal distribution and mass and orbital distance of unseen planets. Finally, in Chapter 6 I present result obtained from N-body simulations to study the process of inward transport of comets by a multiplanetary system and how these can deliver material to inner planets and explain the frequently observed exozodiacal dust. To conclude, in Chapter 7 I summarise the results and conclusions of this dissertation and discuss ongoing and future work.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / We investigate the modelling of radio galaxies within a semi-analytic framework in the Millennium Simulation of the Virgo Consortium. The aim is to assess the radio sources contamination of Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) signatures of clusters of galaxies in Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments. The modelling is also relevant to the Karoo Array Telescope (MeerKAT) and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) science. The semi-analytical model consists of N-body simulation, the Millennium Run to trace the merger history of dark matter haloes within the Λ Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) cosmology and a follow up of the black hole accretion history and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) evolution. We study the growth of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in galaxy centres and determine the black hole mass accretion conversion into radiation. We identify a model which matches observed radio luminosity function. We describe a model of observed sample of radio surveys at a given frequency and a flux density limit to obtain a model of radio luminosity function (space density of radio sources as a function of redshift) that we compare with our simulated data. We determine the redshift distribution of radio galaxies (FRI), blazars and radio quasars (FRII) in the simulation. We focus the modelling on flat spectrum population of blazars since their jets are collimated towards us and thus constitute the most potential contaminants of the CMB. We determine the spatial and density distribution of radio sources in clusters with a virial mass Mvir 2 1014h−1M and then compute the temperature fluctuations and fluxes produced by these cluster radio sources. Our main results include: the model provides a reasonable match within uncertainties with the model obtained by Dunlop & Peacock (1990) [39] using their best fit of radio luminosity function at redshift z . 0:3. The model underestimates the number of radio sources at high redshift z & 1. Radio sources are concentrated around the centre of clusters with a maximum density at r . 0:1r200 where r200 is the radius within which the density is 200 times the critical density. Radio sources are more concentrated in low mass clusters. The model predicts a surface density profile of radio sources with luminosity P 1023 W.Hz−1 at 1.4 GHz (z . 0:06) in agreement with that of Lin & Mohr (2007) [58] at r . 0:1r200 but underestimates the density in the outskirts of the clusters. BL Lacs and FRI radio galaxies produce non negligible contamination at redshift z . 0:1. They produce a mean temperature fluctuation 4:5 K at redshift z 0:01 which can be at the same level as the kinetic SZE signal produced by the cluster. Blazars constitute potential contaminant of the thermal SZ effect at redshift z 1:0 and z 1:5 at 145 GHz where they produce a mean temperature 300 K - 350 K for an average mass of the cluster. / South Africa