O presente trabalho analisou as condições de texturização de amostras de Ag/Bi2212 (Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ) na forma de pastilhas e de fitas, verificando-se a influência do tratamento térmico, atmosfera, adição de prata e adição de zircônia ou zirconato de cálcio. As adições de zircônia ou de zirconato de cálcio, com partículas de dimensões submicrométricas ou nanométricas (abaixo de 200nm), foram analisadas como possíveis geradores de centros de aprisionamento de fluxo magnético, assim como foi feita a análise de seus comportamentos nas propriedades intrínsecas da matriz supercondutora. A influência da atmosfera de tratamento térmico foi analisada de modo a alterar a concentração de oxigênio na fase supercondutora visando melhores resultados de temperatura crítica, sem depreciação das densidades de corrente crítica e dos campos de irreversibilidade, Birr. Foram analisadas as influências dos parâmetros de tratamento térmico, tais como temperatura máxima de reação, tempo nesta temperatura máxima, taxa de resfriamento do estado líquido ao estado sólido, e temperatura e tempo de recozimento após solidificação. Verificou-se a influência do resfriamento do forno sobre a texturização e a temperatura crítica. Quanto à dopagem com prata, foi verificada sua influência na texturização e interação com a zircônia. Foram realizadas caracterizações supercondutoras e microestruturais das amostras. / The present work analyzed the texturing conditions of Ag/Bi2212 samples (Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ) in the form of bulks and of tapes, verifying the influence of heat treatment, atmosphere, silver addition and addition of zirconia or calcium zirconate. The additions of zirconia or calcium zirconate, with particles of submicron or nanometric (below 200nm) dimensions, were analyzed as possible generators of magnetic flux pinning centers, as well as it was analyzed their behaviors on the intrinsic properties of the superconducting matrix. The influence of the heat treatment atmosphere was analyzed in order to change the oxygen concentration in the superconducting phase aiming better results of critical temperature, without depreciation of the critical current densities and of the irreversibility fields, Birr. The influences of the heat treatment parameters were analyzed, such as the reaction maximum temperature, soaking time at this maximum temperature, cooling rate from the liquid to the solid states, and annealing temperature and time after solidification. It was verified the influence of the furnace cooling rate on the texturing and critical temperatures. Concerning to the silver addition, it was verified its influence on the texturing and its interaction with the zirconia. Superconducting and microstructural characterizations of the samples were performed.

Prenant $\e=\frac{1}{\kappa}$ avec $\kappa>0$ est le paramètre de Ginzburg-Landau, ce mémoire de thèse porte sur l'étude asymptotique dans la limite $\e\ri 0$ des minimiseurs périodiques ainsi que des points critiques de l'énergie de Ginzburg-Landau.<br />En première partie, on prouve pour des certeins champs magnétiques appliqués $h_{ex}$ à la surface du supraconducteur de l'ordre du premier champ critique $H_{c_1}=\frac{|\log\e|}{2}$ que pour les minimiseurs périodiques de Ginzburg-Landau, le nombre des vortex par période est de l'ordre de $h_{ex}$ et leur répartition est uniforme. En outre, en prenant des champs $h_{ex}$ proches de $H_{c_1}$ de la forme $h_{ex}=H_{c_1}+f(\e)$ où $f(\e)\rightarrow +\infty$ et $f(\e)=o(|\log\e|)$, on montre que le nombre de vortex des minimiseurs périodiques par période est de l'ordre de $f(\e)$ et leur répartition est aussi uniforme.<br />Dans une deuxième partie, toujours dans le modèle périodique, on construit une suite de points critiques ayant des vortex répartis sur un nombre fini de lignes horizontales.<br />Dans une troisième partie, on construit dans le cas d'un disque une suite de points critiques telle que les vortex sont répartis sur un nombre fini de cercles concentriques de rayon strictement positif et de centre, le centre du disque. Dans le cas où il y a un seul cercle de vorticité, le rayon est bien caractérisé.<br />Finalement, dans un modèle de Ginzburg-Landau avec "pinning", on s'intéresse à l'étude du signe des degrés des vortex et on donne des résultats partiels indiquant que les degrés ne sont pas toujours positifs.

Local studies of magnetic flux line (vortex) distribution in superconducting thin films and their pinning by natural and artificial defects have been performed using low-temperature magnetic force microscopy (LT-MFM). Taken a 100 nm thin NbN film as an example, the depinning of vortices from natural defects under the influence of the force that the MFM tip exerts on the individual vortex was visualized and the local pinning force was estimated. The good agreement of these results with global transport measurements demonstrates that MFM is a powerful and reliable method to probe the local variation of the pinning landscape. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the presence of an ordered array of 1-μm-sized ferromagnetic permalloy dots being in a magneticvortex state underneath the Nb film significantly influences the natural pinning landscape of the superconductor leading to commensurate pinning effects. This strong pinning exceeds the repulsive interaction between the superconducting vortices and allows vortex clusters to be located at each dot. Additionally, for industrially applicable YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta} thin films the main question discussed was the possibility of a direct correlation between vortices and artificial defects as well as vortex imaging on rough as-prepared thin films. Since the surface roughness (droplets, precipitates) causes a severe problem to the scanning MFM tip, a nanoscale wedge polishing technique that allows to overcome this problem was developed. Mounting the sample under a defined small angle results in a smooth surface and a monotonic thickness reduction of the film along the length of the sample. It provides a continuous insight from the film surface down to the substrate with surface sensitive scanning techniques.

Compared to more common used austenitic stainless steels, ferritic stainless steels contain very low amounts of the expensive alloying element Ni. In addition, they have good corrosion properties, but are sometimes suffering from poor weldability and bad mechanical properties. This is mainly due to the presence of large grains after casting and large grain growth during heat treatment or welding. Processes for reducing the grain size (grain refining) of metal alloys are widely known and proven before to be suitable for many alloys. A successful grain refining process can increase the strength of an alloy without decreasing the ductility. This can be achieved by different methods, such as rolling or cooling. In this work, the focus has been on studying the aspect from a metallurgist point of view, to analyse the possibilities to create small particles in the liquid stage to enhance the solidification. The focus has been on oxide and nitride formation for nucleation of smaller grains during solidification. This study was made by forming particles, develop the analysis methods and thereafter to study the effect of particles on the structure of a ferritic stainless steel. The particles were formed by additions of Ti, Ce and Zr in to a liquid Fe-20mass% Cr alloy containing different amounts of oxygen and nitrogen. The electrolytic extraction technique was used to achieve a good understanding of the reaction processes and the particles size, number, composition and morphology. The grain sizes and the particles were then studied in as-cast samples as well as in specimens heat treated for 60 minutes at 1200, 1300 and 1400°C in a Confocal Scanning Laser Microscope (CSLM). Also, based on Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) determinations and Thermo-Calc calculations, the precipitated particles were divided as primary and secondary particles. Thereafter, the grain refining potential was studied for each of these types. In this work, particles engineering by using small particles have been proven suitable for the Fe-20mass% Cr ferritic stainless steel alloys. Although the work has been based on small-scale samples and experiments, the results show good tendencies with respect to grain refining as well as a clear relationship between the particles in the steels and the microstructures. It was found that Ti-Ce additions in Fe-20mass% Cr alloys resulted in complex oxides including Ti, Ce and Cr. These oxides were observed to have high agglomeration tendencies and therefore to form larger particles or clusters. The grain refining potential on the solidification structure was insignificant, despite a relatively large amount of particles. However, Ti-Zr additions in Fe- 20mass% Cr alloys on the other hand resulted in primary precipitated particles such as ZrO2 and ZrO2+ZrN. Furthermore, ZrN nucleated ferrite during solidification, which lead to a clearly observed grain refining effect. This effect was also increased with an increased number of particles. The amount of particles (primary and secondary) was also found to increase with an increased amount of nitrogen. Secondary particles (mostly TiN) were precipitated near grain boundaries, which lead to a location based pinning effect of the grain growth during heat treatment at 1200 °C. This pinning effect was increased by an increased nitrogen content and thereby an increased number of particles. Finally, the pinning effect was clearly reduced during heat treatment at 1400 °C. / QC20100524

Le genre Larix intéresse les reboiseurs en raison de sa croissance rapide et de son bois apprécié. En particulier, le mélèze est une alternative intéressante au douglas pour les reboisements à basse et moyenne altitude. L'adaptation à l'environnement est une question clé pour les améliorateurs d'arbres forestiers. Cette question est particulièrement importante dans le cadre du changement climatique, où une diminution de la disponibilité en eau durant la saison de végétation est prédite. Trois espèces principales de mélèzes sont utilisées en reboisement en France : le mélèze d'Europe, le mélèze du Japon et leur hybride. Les bonnes performances du mélèze hybride en plantation témoignent de son grand potentiel. La structure cellulaire des cernes annuels reflète la réponse du cambium (division cellulaire, allongement et épaississement des parois) aux facteurs environnementaux (climat, fertilité, compétition…), ainsi que des stades physiologiques et l'effet de la génétique. La densité du bois peut être interprétée comme le produit de l'activité cambiale, et sa variation comme la réponse de l'arbre à son environnement. Toutefois, afin de bien avons combiné de façon originale microdensitométrie et blessures du cambium comprendre cette réponse et les variations du processus de xylogenèse lui-même, il est important de repérer les évènements qui se succèdent lors de la production des cellules de bois. Plusieurs approches permettent de dater la formation du bois. Nous (pinning method) afin d'étudier la dynamique de la fabrication du bois. Nous avons analysé les données obtenues du point de vue de l'améliorateur d'arbres forestiers. Cette nouvelle approche nous a permis d‘aller au-delà le caractère statique du profil microdensitométrique (où la densité varie en fonction de la distance) afin de le convertir en profil dynamique (où la densité varie en fonction du temps). La variation de la phénologie de l'activité cambiale peut être vue comme un mécanisme ajustant bois peuvent être interprétées comme des caractères d'adaptation. L'intérêt pour les les le fonctionnement des arbres à leur environnement. Si cet ajustement améliore leur valeur adaptative (fitness), alors les variations correspondantes de l'anatomie du entre phénologie cambiale, formation du bois et stress pédoclimatiques afin de améliorateurs est double : d'un côté, il est urgent de mieux comprendre les liens concevoir des génotypes mieux adaptés à leur environnement. […] Suite et fin du résumé dans la thèse. / Larix is a genus of high interest for plantation due to its fast growth rate and appreciated wood quality. Larch has a great potential to be introduced in middle and lowland afforestations as an alternative to Douglas-fir. One important question for breeders is adaptation to environment. It is particularly relevant in the context of climatic changes where a strong decrease of soil water availability during the growth period is predicted. Three larch species are used by foresters in France for plantation establishment, for which breeders must supply more adapted material: European and Japanese larch and their interspecific hybrid. The higher performance of hybrid larch in afforestations demonstrates its great potential. The tissue structure of annual rings reflects the response of cambium (cell division, elongation and thickening of cell walls) to environmental factors (climate, soil fertility, competition, etc), as well as physiological states and genetics. Then, wood density can be interpreted as the result of cambial activity and its variation as the response of the tree to environment. However, to gain a better understanding of this response and of the variation of the xylogenesis process itself, it is important to spot the timing of wood cell production. There are different approaches to study the timing of wood formation. We used a combination of wood microdensitometry and of pinning method as a new approach to study the dynamic of wood formation from a tree improvement point of view. This new approach allowed us to go beyond the static character of the microdensity profile (where density variation is related to distance) and to transform it into a dynamic profile (where density variation is related to time). Variation in phenology of cambial activity can be seen as a mechanism better adjusting trees to their environment. If this adjustment improves fitness, then the corresponding tree anatomical response to environment variation may be seen as an adaptive response. As breeders, our interest is twice: on one side, a better understanding of cambial phenology and of wood formation in relation to pedo-climatic factors and climatic stress is urgent for profiling genotypes better fitted to their environment. On the other side, exploitation design trees with better wood properties. In larch, phenotypic variation of variables through breeding of knowledge about phenology of wood formation will help to related to the dates of initiation and completion of the formation of different tissues and to the total duration of ring formation is low. Last and final summary in the thesis.

Le modèle de Poland-Scheraga (PS) est le modèle standard pour étudier la transition de dénaturation de deux brins d’ADN complémentaires et de même longueur. Ce modèle a fait l’objet d’une attention remarquable car il est exactement résoluble dans sa version homogène. Le caractère résoluble est lié au fait que le modèle PS homogène peut être mis en correspondance avec un processus de renouvellement discret. Dans la littérature biophysique une généralisation du modèle, obtenue en considérant des brins non complé- mentaires et de longueurs différentes, a été considérée et le caractère résoluble s’étend à cette généralisation substantielle. Dans cette thèse, nous présentons une analyse mathématique du modèle de Poland- Scheraga généralisé. Nous considérons d’abord le modèle homogène et nous exploitons que les deux brins de la chaîne peuvent être modélisés par un processus de renouvellement en deux dimensions. La distribution K(⋅) de l’emplacement (bidimensionnel) du premier contact entre les deux brins est supposée de la forme K(n+m) = (n+m)−α−2L(n+m) avec α ≥ 0 et L(⋅) à variation lente et correspond à une boucle avec n bases dans le premier brin et m dans le deuxième. Nous étudions la transition de localisation-délocalisation et nous montrons l’existence des transitions à l’intérieur de la phase localisée. Nous présentons ensuite des estimations précises sur les propriétés de chemin du modèle. Ensuite, nous étudions la version désordonnée du modèle en incluant une séquence de variables aléatoires indépendantes identiquement distribuées à deux indices. Nous nous concentrons sur l’influence du désordre sur la transition de dénaturation: nous voulons déterminer si la présence des inhomogénéités modifie les propriétés critiques du système par rapport au cas homogène. Nous prouvons que le désordre est non pertinent si α < 1 et nous montrons que pour α > 1, les points critiques gelés et recuits diffèrent (basant sur les techniques de coarse graining et la méthode des moments fractionnaires), ce qui prouve la présence d’un régime de désordre pertinent. / The Poland-Scheraga (PS) model is the standard basic model to study the denaturation transition of two complementary and equally long strands of DNA. This model has enjoyed a remarkable attention because it is exactly solvable in its homogeneous version. The solvable character is related to the fact that the homogeneous PS model can be mapped to a discrete renewal process. In the bio-physical literature a generalization of the model, allowing different length and non complementarity of the strands, has been considered and the solvable character extends to this substantial generalization. In this thesis we present a generalized version of the PS model that allows mismatches and non complementary strands (in particular, the two strands may be of different lengths). We consider first the homogeneous model and we exploit that this model can be mapped to a bivariate renewal process. The distribution K(⋅) of the location (in two dimensions) of the first contact between the two strands is assumed to be of the form K(n + m) = (n + m)−α−2L(n + m) with α ≥ 0 and L(⋅) slowly varying and corresponds to a loop with n bases in the first strand and m in the second. We study the localization-delocalization transition and we prove the existence of transitions inside the localized regime. We then present precise estimates on the path properties of the model. We then study the disordered version of the model by including a sequence of inde- pendent and identically distributed random variables with two indices. We focus on the influence of disorder on the denaturation transition: we want to determine whether the presence of randomness modifies the critical properties of the system with respect to the homogeneous case. We prove that the disorder is irrelevant if α < 1. We show also that for α > 1, the quenched and annealed critical points differ (basing on coarse graining techniques and fractional moment method), proving the presence of a relevant disorder regime.

Local studies of magnetic flux line (vortex) distribution in superconducting thin films and their pinning by natural and artificial defects have been performed using low-temperature magnetic force microscopy (LT-MFM). Taken a 100 nm thin NbN film as an example, the depinning of vortices from natural defects under the influence of the force that the MFM tip exerts on the individual vortex was visualized and the local pinning force was estimated. The good agreement of these results with global transport measurements demonstrates that MFM is a powerful and reliable method to probe the local variation of the pinning landscape. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the presence of an ordered array of 1-μm-sized ferromagnetic permalloy dots being in a magneticvortex state underneath the Nb film significantly influences the natural pinning landscape of the superconductor leading to commensurate pinning effects. This strong pinning exceeds the repulsive interaction between the superconducting vortices and allows vortex clusters to be located at each dot. Additionally, for industrially applicable YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta} thin films the main question discussed was the possibility of a direct correlation between vortices and artificial defects as well as vortex imaging on rough as-prepared thin films. Since the surface roughness (droplets, precipitates) causes a severe problem to the scanning MFM tip, a nanoscale wedge polishing technique that allows to overcome this problem was developed. Mounting the sample under a defined small angle results in a smooth surface and a monotonic thickness reduction of the film along the length of the sample. It provides a continuous insight from the film surface down to the substrate with surface sensitive scanning techniques.

The Antarctic ice sheet is increasingly contributing to sea-level rise because of accelerated mass losses at its floating extensions -- its ice shelves. By floating while remaining attached to the grounded ice sheet, ice shelves buttress (i.e. restrain) the inland ice in such a way that ice-shelf losses lead to accelerated ice discharge in the ocean. This thesis investigates the stability of Antarctic ice shelves -- so crucial for the stability of the entire ice sheet -- using the Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf (RBIS), Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, as a case study. The RBIS has remained relatively stable over the last millennia and presents various kilometre-scale features (pinning point, ice-shelf channels and englacial lakes) with potential impact on its present and future stability.We first derive a horizontal velocity field, combining interferometry and speckle tracking with Synthetic Aperture Radar images from ERS 1/2 and ALOS-PALSAR, respectively. The resulting velocities and associated shear-strain rates represent the most detailed fields, currently available for the RBIS and clearly resolve small-scale features of the RBIS: significant slow-down and shearing are observed upstream of a small pinning point and ice converges at ice-shelf channels. We then combine our flow field with high-resolution elevations from TanDEM-X to infer the Basal Mass Balance (BMB) of the RBIS. This method relies on mass conservation in a Lagrangian frame and enables us to finely detect spatial variability in the BMB. We show that the BMB of the RBIS varies substantially on sub-kilometre scales. Our technique is promising and could easily be applied more widely.Additionally, the flow field is used to investigate how considering/ignoring small pinning points in observations (geometry and velocities) impacts data initialisation of poorly known parameters (e.g. basal friction, ice viscosity) and subsequent ice-sheet modelling with BISICLES. We find that overlooking the pinning point in the bathymetry leads to erroneous ice-shelf properties whereas accurately capturing the pinning point in velocities is of secondary importance. Finally, before concluding the thesis, we discuss the stability of the RBIS and its neighbouring ice shelves. Most studies agree that the ice shelf has remained stable over the last decades to millennia and would likely remain so in the absence of external forcing. We however point out to three potential triggers of instabilities: (i) large quantities of surface meltwater are formed in the grounding zone and subsequently stored on the ice shelf, thereby providing fuel for hydrofracturing; (ii) ice-shelf channels are found to significantly incise the ice inland and (iii) a bathymetric trough beneath the RBIS forms a potential gateway for warm water intrusions the ice-shelf cavity, which could destabilise the ice shelf from below. We close with a short essay on the importance of outreach, where we argue that public engagement as a scientist should be considered as being part of science and should be valued for its worth. This chapter gives us the opportunity to present outreach activities undertaken in the frame of this thesis. We conclude that, just like ice shelves control Antarctic ice losses, science communication determines transfers of scientific expertise to public knowledge. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Stability analysis of networked dynamical systems has been of interest in many disciplines such as biology and physics and chemistry with applications such as LASER cooling and plasma stability. These large networks are often modeled to have a completely random (Erdös-Rényi) or semi-random (Small-World) topologies. The former model is often used due to mathematical tractability while the latter has been shown to be a better model for most real life networks. The recent emergence of cyber physical systems, and in particular the smart grid, has given rise to a number of engineering questions regarding the control and optimization of such networks. Some of the these questions are: How can the stability of a random network be characterized in probabilistic terms? Can the effects of network topology and system dynamics be separated? What does it take to control a large random network? Can decentralized (pinning) control be effective? If not, how large does the control network needs to be? How can decentralized or distributed controllers be designed? How the size of control network would scale with the size of networked system? Motivated by these questions, we began by studying the probability of stability of synchronization in random networks of oscillators. We developed a stability condition separating the effects of topology and node dynamics and evaluated bounds on the probability of stability for both Erdös-Rényi (ER) and Small-World (SW) network topology models. We then turned our attention to the more realistic scenario where the dynamics of the nodes and couplings are mismatched. Utilizing the concept of ε-synchronization, we have studied the probability of synchronization and showed that the synchronization error, ε, can be arbitrarily reduced using linear controllers. We have also considered the decentralized approach of pinning control to ensure stability in such complex networks. In the pinning method, decentralized controllers are used to control a fraction of the nodes in the network. This is different from traditional decentralized approaches where all the nodes have their own controllers. While the problem of selecting the minimum number of pinning nodes is known to be NP-hard and grows exponentially with the number of nodes in the network we have devised a suboptimal algorithm to select the pinning nodes which converges linearly with network size. We have also analyzed the effectiveness of the pinning approach for the synchronization of oscillators in the networks with fast switching, where the network links disconnect and reconnect quickly relative to the node dynamics. To address the scaling problem in the design of distributed control networks, we have employed a random control network to stabilize a random plant network. Our results show that for an ER plant network, the control network needs to grow linearly with the size of the plant network.

In this dissertation physical phenomena relevant to (i) an interface formed between two fluids and a solid phase (wetting line) and (ii) an interface between three fluids (triple contact line) were investigated. In the former case, the wetting line (WL) phenomena which encompass the wetting line energy (WLE) or pinning, the wetting line velocity (WLV), and the contact angle hysteresis, were studied using a micropump based on electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD). In the latter case, the interfacial phenomena such as the air film lubrication effect and the liquid free surface deformation were taken into account to explain the dual equilibrium states of water droplets on liquid free surfaces. EWOD was implemented to devise a pumping method for a continuous flow in a microchannel. An active micropump with a simple layout and no moving parts is designed and fabricated which has on demand flow on/off capability. The micropump is based on droplet/meniscus pressure gradient generated by EWOD. By altering the contact angle between liquid and solid using an electric field a pressure gradient was induced and a small droplet was pumped into the channel via a uniform flow rate. A surface tension based propellant method was introduced as a low power consumption actuation method in microfluidic devices. For an initial droplet volume of 0.3µL and a power of 12nW a constant flow rate of 0.02µL/sec was demonstrated. Sample loading on-demand could be achieved by regulating an electric potential. Unexpectedly, the flow rate of the pump was found to be constant in spite of the changes in the droplet’s radius, which directly affects the pump’s driving pressure. iv The WL phenomena were studied in details to unravel the physical concept behind the micropump constant flow rate during the operation. An interesting observation was that the shrinking input droplet changes its shape in two modes in time sequence: (i) in the first mode its contact angle decreases while its wetting area remains constant due to the pinning, (ii) in the second mode the droplet’s WL starts to move while its contact angle changes as a function of its velocity. Contact angles were measured for the droplet advancing and receding WLs at different velocities to capture a full picture of contact angle behavior due to pinning and WLV effects. These results are also relevant to the meniscus inside the channel. The changes on the contact angle caused by the presence of EWOD at the bottom of the channel were studied in detail. The EWOD based micropump was used as a platform to study the contribution of the pinning and WLV effects on its constant flow rate. The effects of the WLE on the static contact angle and the WLV on the dynamic contact angle in the pump operation were investigated. Also the effect of EWOD voltage on the magnitude and uniformity of the micropump flow rate was studied. Dynamic contact angles (as a function of pinning and WLV) were used to accurately calculate the pressure gradient between the droplet and the meniscus and estimate the flow rate. It was shown that neglecting either of these effects not only results in a considerable gap between the predicted and the measured flow rates but also in an unphysical instability in the flow rate analysis. However, when the WLE and WLV effects were fully taken into account, an excellent agreement between the predicted and the measured flow rates was obtained. v For the study of the TCL between three fluids, aqueous droplets were formed at oil-air interface and two stable configurations of (i) non-coalescent droplet and (ii) cap/bead droplet were observed. General solutions for energy and force analysis were obtained and were shown to be in good agreement with the experimental observations. Further the energy barrier obtained for transition from configuration (i) to (ii), was correlated to the droplet release height and the probability of non-coalescent droplet formation. Droplets formed on the solid surfaces and on the free surface of immiscible liquids have various applications in droplet-based microfluidic devices. This research provides an insight into their formation and manipulation.