This thesis examines polarization and polarization mode dispersion (PMD) dynamics in optical fibers as well as the evaluation of probability density functions and bit error rates in a realistic wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical communication systems. In the first part of the thesis, experimental studies of the dynamics of polarization in a dispersion compensation module (DCM) are performed in which mechanical shocks are imparted to several different DCMs by dropping a steel ball on the outer casing at different locations and from different heights and the resulting rapid polarization fluctuations are measured. We provide a theoretical model that accounts for the dynamic birefringence generated due to the impact. Next, an experimental technique is proposed to detect the location of temporal polarization activity in WDM systems. It is demonstrated theoretically and in simulations that measurement of both the PMD vector and the Stokes parameters at the WDM frequencies enables the detection of the location of such activity. Different linear prediction procedures are applied to the differential group delay of an optical fiber link assumed to obey the hinge model. The hinges are modeled as polarization rotators with fixed rotation axes and sinusoidally varying rotation angles. Three prediction methods are investigated and consequently compared: an autoregressive model (AR) with Kalman filter, a pattern imitation method and a Taylor expansion technique. The effect of measurement noise on the prediction horizon is also investigated for each prediction method. Using a physically reasonable stochastic model for the hinges, we derive analytical expressions for the temporal autocorrelation functions of the state of polarization (SOP) and the PMD vector. The obtained analytical results are compared to simulations. Finally, we apply the multicanonical method to the probability density function of received symbols and the symbol error ratio (SER) in a dual polarization quadrature phase shift keyed (DP-QPSK) WDM system. We simulate five co propagating channels at a symbol rate of 10.7 GBaud/s and account for PMD and nonlinear effects. We evaluate the performance of the system for two different cases: single mode fibers with full dispersion compensation at the end of the link, effective large area fibers (LEAF) with full dispersion compensation at the end of the link.

Polarized light has the ability to increase the specificity of the investigation of biomedical samples and is finding greater utilization in the fields of medical diagnostics, sensing, and measurement. In particular, this dissertation focuses on the application of polarized light to address a major obstacle in the development of an optical based polarimetric non-invasive glucose detector that has the potential to improve the quality of life and prolong the life expectancy of the millions of people afflicted with the disease diabetes mellitus. By achieving the mapping of the relative variations in rabbit corneal birefringence, it is hoped that the understanding of the results contained herein will facilitate the development of techniques to eliminate the effects of changing corneal birefringence on polarimetric glucose measurement through the aqueous humor of the eye. This dissertation also focuses on the application of polarized light to address a major downside of cardiovascular biomechanics research, which is the utilization of toxic chemicals to prepare samples for histological examination. To this end, a polarization microscopy image processing technique is applied to non-stained cardiovascular samples as a means to eliminate, for certain cardiac samples, the necessity for staining using toxic chemicals. The results from this work have the potential to encourage more investigators to join the field of cardiac biomechanics, which studies the remodeling processes responsible for cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarct (heart attacks) and congestive heart failure. Cardiovascular disease is epidemic, particularly amongst the population group older than 65 years, and the number of people affected by this disease is expected to increase appreciably as the baby boomer generation transitions into this older, high risk population group. A better understanding of the responsible mechanisms for cardiac tissue remodeling will facilitate the development of better prevention and treatment regimens by improving the early detection and diagnosis of this disease.

This thesis examines polarization and polarization mode dispersion (PMD) dynamics in optical fibers as well as the evaluation of probability density functions and bit error rates in a realistic wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical communication systems. In the first part of the thesis, experimental studies of the dynamics of polarization in a dispersion compensation module (DCM) are performed in which mechanical shocks are imparted to several different DCMs by dropping a steel ball on the outer casing at different locations and from different heights and the resulting rapid polarization fluctuations are measured. We provide a theoretical model that accounts for the dynamic birefringence generated due to the impact. Next, an experimental technique is proposed to detect the location of temporal polarization activity in WDM systems. It is demonstrated theoretically and in simulations that measurement of both the PMD vector and the Stokes parameters at the WDM frequencies enables the detection of the location of such activity. Different linear prediction procedures are applied to the differential group delay of an optical fiber link assumed to obey the hinge model. The hinges are modeled as polarization rotators with fixed rotation axes and sinusoidally varying rotation angles. Three prediction methods are investigated and consequently compared: an autoregressive model (AR) with Kalman filter, a pattern imitation method and a Taylor expansion technique. The effect of measurement noise on the prediction horizon is also investigated for each prediction method. Using a physically reasonable stochastic model for the hinges, we derive analytical expressions for the temporal autocorrelation functions of the state of polarization (SOP) and the PMD vector. The obtained analytical results are compared to simulations. Finally, we apply the multicanonical method to the probability density function of received symbols and the symbol error ratio (SER) in a dual polarization quadrature phase shift keyed (DP-QPSK) WDM system. We simulate five co propagating channels at a symbol rate of 10.7 GBaud/s and account for PMD and nonlinear effects. We evaluate the performance of the system for two different cases: single mode fibers with full dispersion compensation at the end of the link, effective large area fibers (LEAF) with full dispersion compensation at the end of the link.

Long-term evolution (LTE) standard has been successfully stabilized, and launched in several areas. However, the required channel capacity is expected to increase significantly as the explosively increasing number of smart-phone users implies. Hence, this is already the time for leading researchers to concentrate on a new multiple access scheme in wireless communications to satisfy the channel capacity that those smart users will want in the not-too-distant future. The diversity and multiplexing in a new domain - polarization domain - can be a strong candidate for the solution to that problem in future wireless communication systems. This research contributes largely to the comprehensive understanding of polarized wireless channels and a new multiple access scheme in the polarization domain - polarization division multiple access (PDMA). The thesis consists of three streams: 1) a novel geometrical theory and models for fixed-to-mobile (F2M) and mobile-to-mobile (M2M) polarized wireless channels; 2) a new wireless body area network (BAN) polarized channel modeling; and 3) a novel PDMA scheme. The proposed geometrical theory and models reveal the origin and mechanism of channel depolarization with excellent agreement with empirical data in terms of cross-polarization discrimination (XPD), which is the principal measure of channel depolarization. Further, a novel PDMA scheme utilizing polarization-filtering detection and collaborative transmitter-receiver-polarization (Tx-Rx-polarization) adjustment, is designed considering cellular orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. The novel PDMA scheme has large potential to be utilized with the conventional time, frequency, and code division multiple access (TDMA, FDMA, and CDMA); and spatial multiplexing for next-generation wireless communication systems.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:35:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-06-22Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T21:08:04Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 shimizu_fm_dr_bauru.pdf: 1060296 bytes, checksum: 63745c957542a90554b00f3723c1c813 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Foi desenvolvida uma montagem experimental para estudar o processo de polarização fotoassistida (PAP) de filmes finos poliméricos utilizando um interferômetro de Mach-Zehnder (IMZ). Ela permite determinar a atividade eletro-óptica do filme durante e após o processo de polarização. Um cristal de KH2PO4 (KDP) e o filme guest-host do polímero acrílico poli(metacrilato de metila), PMMA, dopado com o corante vermelho disperso 1, DR1, mostraram o bom funcionamento do sistema de medição IMZ/PAP. Dois azopolímeros acrílicos, o poli(metacrilato de vermelho disperso 1), PMDR1, e o poli(metacrilato de metila)-co-(metacrilato de vermelho disperso 1), PMMcoMDR1, foram estudados variando-se a tensão dc de polarização e a intensidade da luz de excitação. Os dados experimentais obtidos foram ajustados por equações fenomenológicas de Sekkat e KWW para obtenção dos tempos característicos de cada processo durante e após a polarização do filme. O valor máximo de coeficiente eletro-óptico de ~20pm/V foi obtido para o filme do polímero acrílico de PMDR1, enquanto que para os filmes de PMMA/DR1 e PMMcoMDR1 os valores foram de 0,5 e 1,6 pm/V / We developed an experimental setup aiming to study the photoassisted poling (PAP) of polymeric films using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). Is allows measuring the electric optic coefficient during and after the photoassisted poling process. The proper operation the IMZ/PAP measurement system was demonstrated using a KH2PO4 (KDP) crystal and poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, doped with the dye disperse red 1, DR1, guest-host films. Two acrylic azopolymers, poly(methacrylate disperse red 1), PMDR1, and poly(methyl methacrylate)-co-(methacrylate disperse red 1), PMMcoMDR1 were studied under different dc voltage poling and light excitation intensity. The experimental data obtained were fitted by Sekkat and KWW equations to give the characteristics time of each poling process and its decays. The maximum electro-optical coefficient of ~20 pm/V were obtained with the PMDRI acrylic polymer film while for PMMA/DR1 and PMMcoMDR1 the values were 0.5 and 1.6 pm/V

Orientador: José Alberto Giacometti / Banca: Sandro Márcio Lima / Banca: Fernando Fuzinatto Dall'Agnol / Banca: Victor Ciro Solano Reynoso / Banca: Clarissa de Almeida Olivati / O Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciência e Tecnologia de Materiais, PosMat, tem caráter institucional e integra as atividades de pesquisa em materiais de diversos campi / Resumo: Foi desenvolvida uma montagem experimental para estudar o processo de polarização fotoassistida (PAP) de filmes finos poliméricos utilizando um interferômetro de Mach-Zehnder (IMZ). Ela permite determinar a atividade eletro-óptica do filme durante e após o processo de polarização. Um cristal de KH2PO4 (KDP) e o filme guest-host do polímero acrílico poli(metacrilato de metila), PMMA, dopado com o corante vermelho disperso 1, DR1, mostraram o bom funcionamento do sistema de medição IMZ/PAP. Dois azopolímeros acrílicos, o poli(metacrilato de vermelho disperso 1), PMDR1, e o poli(metacrilato de metila)-co-(metacrilato de vermelho disperso 1), PMMcoMDR1, foram estudados variando-se a tensão dc de polarização e a intensidade da luz de excitação. Os dados experimentais obtidos foram ajustados por equações fenomenológicas de Sekkat e KWW para obtenção dos tempos característicos de cada processo durante e após a polarização do filme. O valor máximo de coeficiente eletro-óptico de ~20pm/V foi obtido para o filme do polímero acrílico de PMDR1, enquanto que para os filmes de PMMA/DR1 e PMMcoMDR1 os valores foram de 0,5 e 1,6 pm/V / Abstract: We developed an experimental setup aiming to study the photoassisted poling (PAP) of polymeric films using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). Is allows measuring the electric optic coefficient during and after the photoassisted poling process. The proper operation the IMZ/PAP measurement system was demonstrated using a KH2PO4 (KDP) crystal and poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, doped with the dye disperse red 1, DR1, guest-host films. Two acrylic azopolymers, poly(methacrylate disperse red 1), PMDR1, and poly(methyl methacrylate)-co-(methacrylate disperse red 1), PMMcoMDR1 were studied under different dc voltage poling and light excitation intensity. The experimental data obtained were fitted by Sekkat and KWW equations to give the characteristics time of each poling process and its decays. The maximum electro-optical coefficient of ~20 pm/V were obtained with the PMDRI acrylic polymer film while for PMMA/DR1 and PMMcoMDR1 the values were 0.5 and 1.6 pm/V / Doutor

Ce mémoire présente des techniques tout-optiques visant à préserver les paramètres physiques d’un signal télécom au cours de sa propagation dans une fibre optique de plusieurs kilomètres, tels que son état de polarisation, son profil d’intensité et son spectre. Il se compose en deux majeures parties.La première présente tout d’abord l’attraction de polarisation, ayant lieu au cours de l’interaction entre deux faisceaux contrapropagatifs, et qui permet d’imposer un état fixe de polarisation au signal à la sortie de la fibre indépendamment de son état initial. Des applications tout-optiques basées sur l’Omnipolariseur, un dispositif mis au point à Dijon et permettant le contrôle de ce phénomène non linéaire, sont ensuite développées. Elles fonctionnalisent l’état de polarisation d’un signal OOK-RZ à 10 Gbit/s pour mettre au point une mémoire optique à bascule, un routeur, un brouilleur chaotique, et une technique de copie/dissimulation de paquets de données dans une fibre spun de 5 km.La deuxième réalise la première démonstration expérimentale des parois de domaines de polarisation qui annulent les effets dégradant les profils d’intensité et spectral d’un signal codé au cours de sa propagation. Ce phénomène provient du couplage non-linéaire entre les deux modes de polarisation orthogonaux d’une lumière qui se propage dans un milieu Kerr en régime normal de dispersion, et provoque une modulation en opposition de phase des deux modes le long de la fibre. Il est possible de verrouiller deux trains d’impulsions optiques d’intensité complémentaire de sorte à ce que les impulsions ne subissent plus les effets de distorsion intervenant au sein de la fibre afin de conserver l’information à transmettre. Ainsi une propagation sans distorsion a pu être réalisée sur 50 km. / The second performs the first experimental demonstration of the polarization domain walls which cancel the effects which degrade the intensity and spectral profile of a telecom signal during propagation. This phenomenon comes from non-linear coupling between the two orthogonal polarization modes of light propagating in a Kerr medium in normal dispersion regime, and causes a modulation in phase opposition of the two modes along the fiber. It is possible to lock two optical pulse trains complementary intensity so that the pulses do not suffer the effects of distortion occurring in the fiber in order to maintain the information to be transmitted. And a distortion-free propagation was achieved on 50 km.

The Standard Model (SM) of the particle physics, based on the gauge group SU(3) ×SU(2)L × U(1)Y , has been a successful theory which provides consistent description of all phenomena ranging from the nuclear beta decay to known processes at the high energy colliders like the LHC which operates at the TeV scale. Nevertheless, the SM is considered to be only a low energy (weak scale) theory and not a theory that is valid up to an energy scale (∼ 1019 GeV) where the effects of gravity are expected to be strong. The reasons for this view include the sensitivity of the higgs mass to the high energy scale (the hierarchy and the fine tuning problems), lack of explanation, within the SM, of the observation that the matter in the Universe dominates the anti-matter by orders of magnitude, lack of explanation for the number of fermion generations etc. Many extensions of the SM have been proposed so far which come with their own phenomenology to be tested at the high energy particle colliders like the LHC. Many of these extensions offer a special role to the heavy fermions of the SM, viz., the third generation leptons and quarks, the top quark in particular. An example of such a model is the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. The special role given to top quarks is because of the closeness of the mass of the top quark mt (∼ 173 GeV) to the scale of the electroweak √ symmetry breaking (v/ 2 ∼ 175 GeV, where v is the vacuum expectation value of the Higgs field). This also means that the coupling of the top quark to the Higgs boson is large O(1) which makes the top quark loops major contributors to the fine tuning and hierarchy problems of the Higgs sector. Moreover, the interactions of the third generation fermions are the places where some room is left for new physics to appear as the experimental measurements of the properties of the first two generation fermions are very precise. Hence, the third generation particles, and the top quark in particular are expected to have new non-SM couplings to particles that are expected in this Beyond the Standard Model(BSM) physics. These particles can be either fermions or bosons. We focus first on a simple model that has a new fermion generation with the same quantum numbers as the corresponding SM fermions. This model is called the fourth generation Standard Model. Note that the Standard Model has no explanation for the number of fermion generations. The number of neutrinos extracted from the invisible Z-boson decay width at LEP is consistent with three. But this constrain can be evaded when the fourth generation neutrino is sufficiently heavy: mν′ ≳ mZ /2, where mZ is the mass of the Z-boson. Direct search constraints on the charged lepton of the fourth generation put it’s mass above ∼ 100 GeV. The lower bounds on the masses of fourth generation quarks t′ and b′ (mt′ , mb′ , respectively) have changed very much since the beginning of our work. We had used a model independent lower bound mt′,b′ > 290 GeV that was available at the time of our work. One can easily see that the fourth generation fermions were necessarily heavy, heavier than the top quark, at the time of our work. Since then the lower bounds only moved up. The present limits are mt′ > 700 GeV and mb′ > 675 GeV, if they decay through charged current processes. One important aspect of the fourth generation fermions is that they do not decouple when they are heavy. This affects the precision EW observables (see Introduction) through the loops. Earlier works focusing mainly on low Higgs mass (mh) suggested that the precision EW constraints imply a mass splitting |mt′ −mb′ | ≲ mW , where mW is the mass of the W boson. Another important effect of the heavy fourth generation fermions is that some of the tree-level scattering amplitudes like t′t′ → t′t′ at high energies, grow as GF m2f′ , where GF is the Fermi’s constant and m f ′ is the mass of the fourth generation fermion f ′ = t′,b′,ν′,τ′, which could be of O(1), potentially violating the tree level perturbative unitarity of the S-matrix. We combined the constraints from the precision EW observables -the S,T,U parameters, and the perturbative unitarity constraints to find available fourth generation SM parameter space in the light of a heavy Higgs as required by the then available LHC Higgs exclusion limits. We allowed for a small mixing between the third and fourth generation fermions: sin θ34 ≲ 0.3, where θ34 is the mixing angle of the third and the fourth generation quarks. This necessitated inclusion of amplitudes involving the top quark along with those of t′ and b′ in the perturbative unitarity analysis which had not been done before. We found that a heavy higgs with mass mh ≳ 800 GeV allowed large mass splitting between t′ and b′ and τ′ and ν′: |mt′ − mb′ | and mτ′ − mν′ could be greater than mW as long as sin θ34 ≤ 0.3. This meant that there was a non-negligible possibility that t′ → b′W /b′ → t′W and τ′ → ν′W could be open. Further we showed that the branching ratios for t′ → b′W or b′ → t′W could be close to unity (100%) for sin θ34 ≲ 0.05. The implication for the direct search experiments, which till then had not considered such decay modes, was that the search strategies should be altered to include these decay modes. Another important aspect of our result is that the large mass splittings mentioned above could be achieved even with one Higgs doublet, in contrast to earlier works which obtained such mass splittings only with two Higgs doublets. An epilogue is necessary here. The main point of our work was to show that a heavy Higgs could be allowed when a fourth generation of heavy fermions were present. At the time of the publication of this work, hints, but not a discovery, for a light Higgs appeared at the LHC. We did not take these hints to constitute as an evidence at that time. The discovery of a 125 GeV higgs boson at the LHC rules out the simple picture we had considered in our work. This was due to the huge suppression of the B.R of h → γγ channel by two orders of magnitude relative to it’s SM value despite a factor ten enhancement relative to the SM of the production channel gg → h. This results in a net suppression of the gg → h process relative to it’s SM value. Even after the Higgs discovery, a fourth generation model with a two Higgs doublet model could, however, still be viable. The top quark has an important property which is not shared by any other known quarks: Once produced, it decays before it can form any hadron. Hence, information about it’s spin state is transferred to the kinematical distributions of it’s decay products. One of the forms in which the spin information is revealed is via the kinematical distributions of decay products of the top which are sensitive to the polarization of the top quark. Different distributions have different sensitivity to the top polarization. The polarization of the top gives information about the chiral structure of the interaction responsible for the production. In the SM, the main mode of top production is the tt¯ pair production through QCD interactions. Due to the parity conserving nature of the QCD interactions (in other words, purely vector interactions), the polarization of the top quarks along their direction of motion is very small-less than about a percent. On the other hand, the single top production process which involves vector-axial-vector (maximally parity violating) weak interactions, produces highly polarized top quarks. Any possible chiral new physics interaction in the top production could affect the polarization of the produced top quarks. Hence, the top polarization can be a probe of new physics in top production. However, when any possible new physics effects appear in the top decay vertex, such as the W tb vertex associated with t → bW , measurement of top polarization is affected. This is because of the new Lorentz structures induced by the new physics which affect the kinematic distributions of the decay products. These additional couplings can be induced by higher order SM loops also. The possible deviations of these coefficients from the SM value are called anomalous couplings. Different kinematic distributions have different sensitivities to the anomalous couplings. In the second work, we constructed asymmetries from four kinematic distributions: θℓlab, xℓ = 2Eℓlab/mt , u = Eℓlab/(Eℓlab + Eblab) and z = Eℓlab/Etlab; ℓ and b denote the charged lepton and the b-quark from the top decay. The superscript lab denotes that our asymmetries are evaluated in the lab frame. Lab frame asymmetries do not need full reconstruction of a top event. We compare the four asymmetries for their sensitivity to the top polarization and the anomalous coupling f2R (The anomalous couplings of the W tb vertex are denoted as f1R, f2L, f2R (we set f1L = 1). Due to the strong indirect constraints from the measured branching ratio of b → sγ, we considered only one anomalous coupling, i.e f2R). We focused on a particular scenario where the top is highly boosted in the lab frame. Since a typical new physics process is expected to be in the TeV scale, the top produced through such processes would be highly boosted in the lab frame. Since effects of a possible chiral new physics in the top production appear in the top polarization and in the top decay, through the anomalous couplings like f2R of W tb, a simultaneous constraint on the top polarization and anomalous couplings is very useful, as it does not rely upon any specific assumptions on the decay or production. We combined asymmetries in a χ2 analysis to determine how much they can constrain the longitudinal top polarization (polarization along the direction of motion) and the anomalous W tb coupling f2R simultaneously. We also studied the effects of systematic uncertainties in the asymmetries and found that our asymmetries were sensitive to both P and f2R at a level of O(10−2) −O(10−1), for systematic uncertainties upto 5%. The top quarks are produced at the LHC dominantly as tt¯ pairs through QCD interactions. The other modes of production that have been observed include the single top (t-channel), associated production with a electroweak gauge boson etc. But the top can also be produced through possible new physics processes such as the one where a heavy new physics particle decays into a top quark. The couplings of the top with the heavy particle determine it’s polarization, in the rest frame of the heavy particle, for given masses of the parent and the daughter particles that are produced along with the top. The polarization of the top is a frame dependent quantity. For example, if we define the top polarization in the helicity basis, i.e. taking the direction of motion of the top in a given frame as it’s spin quantization axis, the polarization of the top in the rest frame of the heavy particle is not the same as it’s value in the lab frame. This is because the helicity states of the top are not invariant under the Lorentz transformations which are not along the direction of motion of the top. The probes of top polarization defined in the lab frame, do not require a full reconstruction of the event which is complicated by the possible presence of missing energy at the detectors. To probe the mechanism of the top production through the measured top polarization in the lab frame, a prediction of the polarization of the top in the lab frame as a function of the dynamical parameters of a theory like the couplings, mixing angles etc. is needed. In the third work, we studied how the top polarization in the rest frame of the heavy particle can be related to it’s value in the lab frame. In particular, we provide a simple procedure of calculation of top polarization in the lab frame given the dynamical parameters of the theory and the masses of the particles involved in the decay. We show that this can be achieved by the convolution of the velocity distribution of the heavy particle in the lab frame with a formula for top polarization in the lab frame. This formula depends only on the velocity of the heavy particle in the lab frame and not it’s direction of motion. We derive the formula and provide a simple explanation for the absence of the dependence on the direction of motion of the heavy particle. We illustrate our formula with two examples: the top produced from the decay of a gluino, and the top produced in the decay of stop. The analytical expression which we have derived gives the value of top polarization in any boosted frame. We establish the validity of our formula through a Monte Carlo simulation. We also give how finite width effects can be included. We find that a simple approach of folding the expression for the top polarization (after convoluting with the velocity distribution of the heavy particle) with a Breit-Wigner form for the distribution of mass of the heavy particle around it’s on-shell mass is sufficient in most of the cases. To summarize, we explored some aspects of the phenomenology of heavy quarks and leptons which are currently known or which are hypothetical. The first work focuses on the fourth generation Standard Model in the light of an LHC exclusion limit on Higgs boson. Taking into consideration all the indirect constraints, including the precision electroweak tests, we found that a heavy Higgs boson allowed a large mass splitting between the fourth generation fermions which implied that the direct search strategies need to include some more decays of fourth generation fermions. In the second work, we constructed observables which are sensitive to top polarization and used them to constrain possible anomalous couplings associated with the W tb vertex. We studied these observables for their potential to constrain both the top polarization and the possible anomalous couplings of W tb vertex. In the third work, we gave a simple procedure to calculate the top polarization in the lab frame, when the top quarks are produced in the decays of heavy particle. We showed that the lab frame polarization of the top could be obtained simply by convoluting the velocity distribution of the heavy particle in the lab frame with an expression for top polarization. We derived the expression and gave reasons for why the analytical expression does not depend on the direction of motion of the heavy particle. We demonstrated use of a simple procedure to include the effects of finite width of the heavy particle.

The thesis focuses on the optical access networks and deals with the issue of transmission parameters of the physical layer, their negative impact on the quality of the services parameters and the possibilities of reducing their effect using the polarization multiplexing. The first and second chapter describe the theoretical background necessary for understanding the subsequent parts. The third chapter contains the practical part of the thesis. At first the optical routes in the Czech Republic in terms of polarization mode dispersion, which is together with insertion loss the main limiting parameter of high-speed optical networks, are evaluated. In the following part the measuring of the temperature changes effects on the polarization mode dispersion of the passive components and the effect of temperature changes to the polarization multiplexed signal are evaluated. To double the bandwidth and reduce the influence of polarization mode dispersion on the quality of services, the two simulation models of optical access networks using polarization multiplexing were carried out. These theoretical outputs were verified by the practical measurements in the laboratory and subsequently on the real optical route. Finally, a draft of the broadband optical access network based on wavelength and polarization multiplexing was designed based on obtained knowledge.

During his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump distinguished himself from other candidates via his hardline stances on issues of immigration. Using data from national surveys conducted between 2014 and 2019, we identify three key findings about views of immigrants among the American public during the Trump era. First, xenophobia was the strongest predictor of Americans’ feelings—anger, fear, pride, and hope—about Donald Trump during his time in office, and the second strongest predictor of feelings about the Republican party (after partisan identification). Second, the influence of Americans’ levels of xenophobia on their feelings about the Republican Party were significantly mediated by their feelings about Trump, especially for negative affect (anger and fear). Third, there has been a backlash against xenophobia, such that political independents and Democrats became significantly more favorable toward immigrants after 2016. As a result, views of immigrants have become more favorable overall, but also more politically polarized. These findings support and extend immigration backlash theory, contribute to research on affective polarization, and document consequential trends in contemporary American politics.