Die bodengebundene Gammaastronomie beschäftigt sich mit der Detektion von Photonen mit Energien >10GeV mittels der abbildenden Cherenkov-Technik. Dabei wird die Atmosphäre als Detektor verwendet: Photonen in diesem Energiebereich produzieren in ihr Teilchenschauer, die Cherenkov-Licht aussenden. Das Licht wird von Teleskopen gesammelt um Abbildungen der Schauer zu erhalten, aus denen Eigenschaften der Gammaquanten abgeleitet werden können. Da die Schauer statistischen Prozessen unterliegen, ist die Rekonstruktion der Richtung des Gammaquants durch Fluktuationen begrenzt. Die Qualität der Rekonstruktion hängt von der Energie des Quants, Beobachtungsbedingungen, Teleskop-Eigenschaften und der Rekonstruktionsmethode ab. Die Präzision der Richtungsrekonstruktion einzelner Gammaquanten wird als Winkelauflösung bezeichnet. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Winkelauflösung der vier Teleskope von HESS, die für bodengebundene Gammaastronomie im Energiebereich >100GeV verwendet werden. Es werden systematische Fehler der Winkelauflösungsfunktion und ihre Abhängigkeiten von Beobachtungsparametern mit Beobachtungsdaten und Simulationen abgeschätzt. Abweichungen der simulierten Auflösung von der mit HESS an Hand von Punktquellen gemessenen werden in dieser Arbeit identifiziert und quantifiziert, um mit einer korrigierten Funktion zwei Phänomene zu studieren: Erstens wird die Ausdehnung des Krebsnebels im TeV-Bereich untersucht, für die Werte bis ca. 0.03º vorausgesagt werden. Es werden die Beobachtungen des Nebels selektiert, die eine gute Auflösung und Kontrolle des systematischen Fehlers versprechen. Auf einem Konfidenzniveau von 95% wird die Obergrenze der Ausdehnung des Nebels damit zu 0.034º bestimmt. Zweitens wird nach ausgedehnter Emission um Aktive Galaxienkerne (AGN) gesucht. Verschiedene Modell-Vorhersagen werden mit den HESS-Daten dreier AGN verglichen - die so erzielten Obergrenzen auf den Fluss sind die niedrigsten bisher veröffentlichten im TeV-Bereich. / Very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy deals with the ground-based detection of photons with energies of tens of GeV to few 100 TeV by employing the Imaging Air Cherenkov Technique (IACT). This method uses the atmosphere as a detector for VHE gamma-rays, exploiting that photons in that energy range produce particle showers in it. The showers emit Cherenkov light, which is collected by telescopes to image single showers. Properties of the gamma-rays can be deduced from the shower images. However, the interactions in the atmosphere are statistical processes, imposing a limit on the direction reconstruction. The quality of the reconstruction depends on the energy of the primary particle, telescope properties, observational conditions and reconstruction algorithm. The precision of the direction reconstruction of single photons is called the angular resolution. In this work, the angular resolution function of the IACT experiment HESS is studied in detail. HESS consists of five telescopes, four of which were built for the energy range >100 GeV. For this sub-array, the systematic errors on the angular resolution and their dependence on observation parameters are estimated from known point sources in HESS data and Monte-Carlo simulations. A mismatch between HESS data and simulations is quantified and corrected to assess two phenomena: First, the size of the the Crab Nebula at VHE is investigated. Some models predict a size of the emission region of more than 0.03º. Including a detailed accounting of the systematic errors, an upper limit on the size of emission region of the nebula is given by 0.034º at a 95% confidence level. Second, extended emission around Active Galactiv Nuclei is searched for. Various models are probed with HESS data and the most constraining upper limits on the so-called pair halo scenario are found. Assuming a different model, extra-galactic magnetic field strengths in the range of (0.1 - 10)* 10^{-15} G are excluded at a 99% confidence level.

VERITAS, ein abbildendes atmosphärisches Cherenkov-Teleskopsystem der dritten Generation, erlaubt es Spektren von hochenergetischer (E > 100 GeV) Gammastrahlung mit grosser Präzision zu messen. Anhand dieser Energiespektren können Rückschlüsse über die Beschleunigungsmechanismen in der Gammastrahlungsquelle gezogen werden. Spektrale cut-offs können durch eine maximale, verfügbare Energie in der Quelle zu Stande kommen. In dieser Arbeit wurden 108 Stunden VERITAS-Daten des Blazars Markarian 421 mit Hilfe eines neu implementierten Forward Folding Algorithmus analysiert. Durch Forward Folding kann die komplette instrumentelle Antwortfunktion, einschliesslich Energieauflösung und -bias, in der Energierekonstruktion berücksichtigt werden. Diese Methode erlaubt es insbesondere spektrale Merkmale, wie etwa einen exponentiellen Cut-off, mit hinreichender Signifikanz zu beobachten. Zudem können die spektralen Parameter mit grosser Genauigkeit bestimmt werden. Eine Abhängikgeit des spektralen Index von der Flussstärke von Markarian 421 konnte mit einer Signifikanz von > 3 Sigma nachgewiesen werden. Diese wurde als eine Verschiebung des Maximums der Emission, die auf dem Inversen Comptoneffekt basiert, zu höheren Energien interpretiert. Neben der Anwendung des Forward Folding auf Daten von Markarian 421, wurde das allgemeine Potential dieser Methode zur Detektion exponentieller Cut-offs mit VERITAS und CTA, dem TeV Gammastrahlenobservatorium der nächsten Generation, untersucht. Diese Studien zeigen den Einfluss der Energieauflösung auf und quantifizieren die Sensitivität auf Cut-offs bei verschiedenen Energien. / VERITAS, an array of four imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, is capable of measuring spectra of very-high-energy (E > 100 GeV) gamma-rays with high precision. On the basis of these spectra, conclusions can be drawn about the acceleration mechanisms in gamma-ray sources. For instance, spectral cut-offs can indicate that there is a maximal energy available in the source. In this work, 108 h of VERITAS data on the blazar Markarian 421 have been analysed by means of an implementation of a Forward Folding algorithm. By Forward Folding the complete instrument response function, factors including energy resolution and bias can be taken into account in the energy reconstruction. In particular, this method facilitates significant detections of spectral features, such as an exponential cut-off, and additionally, the spectral parameters can be determined with great accuracy. A dependence of the spectral index on the flux level of Markarian 421 could be detected with a significance of > 3 Sigma. This dependence was interpreted as a shift of the peak energy of Inverse Compton emission to higher energies. Besides the application of Forward Folding to data of Markarian 421, the potential to detect exponential cut-offs with VERITAS and CTA, the next generation ground based gamma-ray observatory, with this method was investigated. This study shows the influence of the energy resolution on the sensitivity of the instrument to spectral cut-offs. This sensitivity has been quantified for various cut-off energies.

O modelo de cluster-alfa é aplicado aos núcleos de massa intermediária 90Sr, 92Zr, 94Mo, 96Ru e 98Pd com a Abordagem de Potencial Local. As bandas do estado fundamental dos respectivos sistemas alfa + caroço são calculadas com um único parâmetro variável, fornecendo uma boa descrição geral dos níveis experimentais. Mostra-se que o potencial alfa + caroço é fracamente dependente do momento angular L, e que tal dependência pode ser descrita de forma simples e padronizada para os cinco núcleos. O comportamento do parâmetro radial R do potencial alfa + caroço é discutido em relação ao raio do núcleo total e a soma dos raios do cluster-alfa e do caroço. As taxas de transição B(E2) reproduzem corretamente as ordens de grandeza de quase todos os dados experimentais sem o uso de cargas efetivas. A análise das separações intercluster rms e das larguras-alfa reduzidas nas bandas do estado fundamental sugere que há uma redução da intensidade de aglomeração-alfa com o aumento do spin. Uma análise complementar das bandas de estado fundamental dos núcleos 20Ne, 44Ti e 212Po aponta uma diminuição da intensidade de aglomeração-alfa com o aumento da massa nuclear, e mostra uma condição mais fraca de aglomeração-alfa para os núcleos da região do Mo em comparação com os núcleos leves. Bandas de paridade negativa são calculadas para os núcleos 92Zr, 94Mo, 96Ru e 98Pd e informações não relatadas anteriormente são comparadas a níveis experimentais disponíveis. A avaliação geral dos resultados indica que os núcleos com A par e N=52 na região do Mo possuem estruturas alfa + caroço com características semelhantes. / The alpha-cluster model is applied to the intermediate mass nuclei 90Sr, 92Zr, 94Mo, 96Ru and 98Pd with the Local Potential Approach. The ground state bands of the respective alpha + core systems are calculated with only one variable parameter, giving a good general description of the experimental data. It is shown that the alpha + core potential is weakly dependent on the angular momentum L and such dependence may be described in a simple and standardized form for the five nuclei. The behavior of the radial parameter R of the alpha + core potential is discussed in relation to the radius of the total nucleus and the sum of the radii of the alpha-cluster and the core. The calculated B(E2) transition rates reproduce correctly the orders of magnitude of almost all experimental data without the use of effective charges. The analysis of the rms intercluster separations and the reduced alpha-widths for the ground state bands suggests a reduction of the alpha-cluster intensity with the increasing spin. A complementary analysis of the ground state bands of the nuclei 20Ne, 44Ti and 212Po points to a decrease of the alpha-cluster intensity with the increasing nuclear mass, and shows a weaker alpha-cluster condition for the nuclei of the Mo region in comparison with the light nuclei. Negative parity bands are calculated for the nuclei 92Zr, 94Mo, 96Ru and 98Pd and previously not reported information are compared to available experimental levels. The general evaluation of the results indicates that the N=52 even-A nuclei in the Mo region have alpha + core structures with similar features.

O modelo de cluster-alfa é aplicado aos núcleos de massa intermediária 90Sr, 92Zr, 94Mo, 96Ru e 98Pd com a Abordagem de Potencial Local. As bandas do estado fundamental dos respectivos sistemas alfa + caroço são calculadas com um único parâmetro variável, fornecendo uma boa descrição geral dos níveis experimentais. Mostra-se que o potencial alfa + caroço é fracamente dependente do momento angular L, e que tal dependência pode ser descrita de forma simples e padronizada para os cinco núcleos. O comportamento do parâmetro radial R do potencial alfa + caroço é discutido em relação ao raio do núcleo total e a soma dos raios do cluster-alfa e do caroço. As taxas de transição B(E2) reproduzem corretamente as ordens de grandeza de quase todos os dados experimentais sem o uso de cargas efetivas. A análise das separações intercluster rms e das larguras-alfa reduzidas nas bandas do estado fundamental sugere que há uma redução da intensidade de aglomeração-alfa com o aumento do spin. Uma análise complementar das bandas de estado fundamental dos núcleos 20Ne, 44Ti e 212Po aponta uma diminuição da intensidade de aglomeração-alfa com o aumento da massa nuclear, e mostra uma condição mais fraca de aglomeração-alfa para os núcleos da região do Mo em comparação com os núcleos leves. Bandas de paridade negativa são calculadas para os núcleos 92Zr, 94Mo, 96Ru e 98Pd e informações não relatadas anteriormente são comparadas a níveis experimentais disponíveis. A avaliação geral dos resultados indica que os núcleos com A par e N=52 na região do Mo possuem estruturas alfa + caroço com características semelhantes. / The alpha-cluster model is applied to the intermediate mass nuclei 90Sr, 92Zr, 94Mo, 96Ru and 98Pd with the Local Potential Approach. The ground state bands of the respective alpha + core systems are calculated with only one variable parameter, giving a good general description of the experimental data. It is shown that the alpha + core potential is weakly dependent on the angular momentum L and such dependence may be described in a simple and standardized form for the five nuclei. The behavior of the radial parameter R of the alpha + core potential is discussed in relation to the radius of the total nucleus and the sum of the radii of the alpha-cluster and the core. The calculated B(E2) transition rates reproduce correctly the orders of magnitude of almost all experimental data without the use of effective charges. The analysis of the rms intercluster separations and the reduced alpha-widths for the ground state bands suggests a reduction of the alpha-cluster intensity with the increasing spin. A complementary analysis of the ground state bands of the nuclei 20Ne, 44Ti and 212Po points to a decrease of the alpha-cluster intensity with the increasing nuclear mass, and shows a weaker alpha-cluster condition for the nuclei of the Mo region in comparison with the light nuclei. Negative parity bands are calculated for the nuclei 92Zr, 94Mo, 96Ru and 98Pd and previously not reported information are compared to available experimental levels. The general evaluation of the results indicates that the N=52 even-A nuclei in the Mo region have alpha + core structures with similar features.

The long-standing problem of possible formation of metastable states in collisions of the eta-meson with atomic nuclei is revisited. The two-body eta-nucleon interaction is described by a local potential, which is constructed by fitting known low-energy parameters of this interaction. The many-body eta-nucleus potential obtained within the folding model, is used to search for metastable states of the systems formed by the eta-meson with hydrogen and helium isotopes. It is found that all these systems generate strings of overlapping resonances. / Physics / M.Sc. (Physics)

In this work we calculate the binding energies and root-mean-square radii for A−body nuclear bound state systems, where A ≥ 3. To study three−body systems, we employ the three−dimensional differential Faddeev equations with nucleon-nucleon semi-realistic potentials. The equations are solved numerically. For this purpose, the equations are transformed into an eigenvalue equation via the orthogonal collocation procedure using triquintic Hermite splines. The resulting eigenvalue equation is solved using the Restarted Arnoldi Algorithm. Ground state binding energies of the 3H nucleus are determined. For A > 3, the Potential Harmonic Expansion Method is employed. Using this method, the Schr¨odinger equation is transformed into coupled Faddeev-like equations. The Faddeevlike amplitudes are expanded on the potential harmonic basis. To transform the resulting coupled differential equations into an eigenvalue equation, we employ again the orthogonal collocation procedure followed by the Gauss-Jacobi quadrature. The corresponding eigenvalue equation is solved using the Renormalized Numerov Method to obtain ground state binding energies and root-mean-square radii of closed shell nuclei 4He, 8Be, 12C, 16O and 40Ca. / Physics / M. Sc. (Physics)

No description available.

No description available.

L’autophagie est un processus cellulaire catabolique qui a été conservé durant l’évolution de la levure à l’homme. Cet important mécanisme consiste en une dégradation des composants cytoplasmiques dans une structure lytique, le lysosome. Il existe trois types de l’autophagie : la microautophagie, l’autophagie médiée par les chaperones et la macroautophagie nommée « autophagie ». Il a été démontré que lors de l’autophagie, le matériel cytoplasmique (protéines cytosoliques et organites) est séquestré dans l’autophagosome qui finit par fusionner avec le lysosome, formant ainsi l’autophagolysosome. Le matériel séquestré et la membrane interne de l’autophagosome seront dégradés par les hydrolases lysosomales. Plusieurs études se sont focalisées sur la détermination de la machinerie moléculaire et les mécanismes de l’autophagie. Il a été démontré l’implication de 31 molécules Atg essentielles dans le processus de l’autophagie. L’identification de ces protéines a permis de déceler le rôle de l’autophagie non seulement dans le maintien de l’homéostasie cellulaire mais aussi dans la défense contre les agents pathogènes. En effet, l’autophagie joue un rôle important dans l’immunité innée conduisant à contrôler l’évasion des pathogènes dont les bactéries et les virus. Également, l’autophagie est impliquée dans l’immunité adaptative en favorisant la présentation des antigènes viraux par le CMH de classe II aux cellules T CD4+. De plus, une étude récente suggère que l’autophagie contribue à la présentation antigénique par le CMH de classe I aux cellules T CD8+ durant une infection virale par le virus HSV-1 (Herpes simplex type 1). Toutefois, certains virus y compris HSV-1 ont pu développer des mécanismes pour contourner et inhiber en partie le rôle protecteur de l’autophagie. Récemment, une étude dans notre laboratoire a mis en évidence, lors d’une infection virale par HSV-1 des cellules macrophages BMA, la présence d’une nouvelle structure autophagique dans une phase tardive de l’infection. Cette nouvelle structure est différente des autophagosomes classiques à double membrane et est caractérisée morphologiquement par quatre membranes dérivées de l’enveloppe nucléaire interne et externe. Peu de choses ont été rapportées sur cette nouvelle voie autophagique qui peut être un mécanisme de défense cellulaire quand l’autophagie classique dans le cytosol est inhibée par HSV-1. Il devient donc intéressant de caractériser les molécules impliquées dans la formation de ces autophagosomes issus du noyau par spectrométrie de masse. Pour ce faire, il était impératif d’établir un outil d’isolation des noyaux à partir de macrophages infectés par HSV-1 dans lesquels les autophagosomes issus des noyaux seront formés. La validation de cette méthode d’isolation a été effectuée en déterminant la pureté et l’intégrité des noyaux isolés à partir des cellules non infectées (contrôle) et infectées par HSV-1. La pureté des préparations de noyaux isolés a été caractérisée par l’absence de contaminants cellulaires et un enrichissement en noyaux. Également, il a fallu déterminer la cinétique de formation des autophagosomes issus des noyaux pour les deux lignées cellulaires de macrophages utilisées dans ce projet. Dans une perspective future, l’analyse protéomique à partir des échantillons purs des noyaux isolés (non infectés et infectés) mènera à identifier les protéines impliquées dans la formation des autophagosomes dérivés des noyaux, ce qui permettra ultérieurement d’effectuer des études sur les mécanismes moléculaires et les fonctions de cette nouvelle voie autophagique. / Autophagy is a catabolic cellular process that has been conserved during evolution from yeast to humans. More specifically, it consists of the degradation of cytoplasmic components within a lytic structure, the lysosome. There are at least three distinct types of autophagy; microautophagy, chaperone-mediated-autophagy, and macroautophagy wich often referred to simply as “autophagy” in the literature. It has been shown that during this type of autophagy, cytoplasmic material (cytosolic proteins and organites) are sequestrated in autophagosomes which fuse with lysosomes, forming autophagolysosomes where the sequestered material and the internal membrane of the autophagosomes are degraded by lysosomal hydrolases. Many studies have focused on understanding the molecular machinery and mechanism of autophagy. It has been shown that 31 autophagy proteins (Atg) are implicated and essential in the autophagic process. More importantly, the identification of these proteins has permitted the discovery of the role of autophagy not only in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis but also in host defense against pathogenic agents. Autophagy plays an important role in innate immunity by clearing and destroying intracellular pathogens like bacteria and viruses. Autophagy is also implicated in adaptive immunity, by promoting the presentation of viral antigens on CMH class II molecules to CD4+ T cells. A recent study has shown that autophagy also contributes to antigen presentation on CMH class I molecules to CD8+ T cells during infection with Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Certain viruses including herpes viruses have developed mechanisms to inhibit autophagy. Interestingly, a recent study in our lab revealed the presence of a new autophagic structure that occured during the late phase of viral infection of BMA macrophages with HSV-1. These structures are different from the classic double membrane autophagosomes, and are morphologically characterized by four membranes emerging from the inner and outer nuclear envelope. Very little was known about this novel nuclear-membrane autophagy pathway, which might function as a cellular defense mechanism when classic autophagy in the cytosol is inhibited by the virus. It is therefore of great interest to characterize the proteins involved in the formation of these autophagosomes from the nucleus by mass spectrometry. In order to do so, it was imperative to establish a protocol for the isolation of nuclei from HSV-1 infected macrophages which carry nuclear autophagosomes on their envelope. The validation of this isolation method was carried out by determining the purity of isolated nuclei in uninfected (mock) and infected macrophages. The purity of isolated nuclei was characterized by the absence of cellular contaminants derived from other cellular organites and enrichment in nuclei. Moreover, the kinetic of autophagosome formation on the nuclei during infection had to be determined for the two macrophage cell lines used during this project. As a future perspective, a proteomic analysis of pure samples of isolated nuclei (uninfected and infected) should identify proteins implicated in the formation of autophagosomes derived from the nuclei, and thus allow further studies of the molecular mechanism and functions of this novel autophagy pathway.

Dédié à l'étude du ciel en rayons gamma, le satellite Fermi comporte à son bord le Large Area Telescope (LAT), sensible au rayonnement gamma de 20 MeV à 300 GeV. Les données recueillies par le LAT depuis son lancement en 2008 ont permis de multiplier par 10 le nombre de noyaux actifs de galaxie (NAG) détectés dans le domaine du GeV. Les rayons gamma observés dans les NAGs proviennent de processus énergétiques faisant intervenir des particules chargées de très haute énergie. Ces particules sont confinées dans un jet de plasma magnétisé qui prend sa source dans une région proche du trou noir supermassif habitant la zone centrale de la galaxie hôte. Ce jet s’éloigne à des vitesses aussi élevées que 0.9999c, formant dans de nombreux cas des lobes radio sur des échelles du kiloparsec voire du mégaparsec. Les NAGs dont le jet fait un angle faible avec la ligne de visée sont appelés blazars. La combinaison de cette très faible inclinaison du jet par rapport à la ligne de visée et de vitesses d’éjection relativistes donne lieu à des effets relativistes : mouvements apparents superluminiques, amplification de la luminosité et modification des échelles de temps. Les blazars sont caractérisés par une extrême variabilité à toutes les longueurs d’onde, sur des échelles de temps allant de quelques minutes à plusieurs mois. Une étude temporelle et spectrale du plus brillant d'entre ceux détectés par le LAT, 3C 454.3, a été réalisée afin de contraindre les modèles d'émission. Une nouvelle méthode de génération de courbes de lumière à échantillonnage adaptatif est également proposée dans cette thèse. Celle-ci permet d'extraire le maximum d'information des données du LAT quel que soit l'état de flux de la source. / The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope was launched on 2008 June 11, carrying the Large Area Telescope(LAT), sensitive to gamma-rays in the 20 MeV – 300 GeV energy range. The data collected since then allowed to multiply by a factor of 10 the number of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) detected in the GeV range. Gamma-rays observed in AGNs come from energetic precesses bringing into play very high energy charged particles. These particles are confined in a magnetized plasma jet rising in a region close to the supermassive black hole in the center of the host galaxy. This jet moves away with velocities as high as 0.9999c, forming in many cases radio lobes on kiloparsec or even megaparsec scales. Among the AGNs, those whose jet inclination angle to the line of sight is small are called blazars. The combination of this small inclination angle with relativistic ejection speeds leds to relativistic effects : apparent superluminal motions, amplification of the luminosity and modification of the time scales. Blazars are characterized by extreme variability at all wavelengths, on time scales from a few minutes to several months. A temporal and spectral study of the most luminous of those detected by the LAT, 3C 454.3, was done so as to constrain emission models. A new method for generating adaptive-binning lightcurves is also suggested in this thesis. It allows to extract the maximum of information from the LAT data whatever the flux state of the source.