The use of the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) for the JPEG2000 image compression standard has sparked interest in the design of fast, efficient hardware implementations of the perfect reconstruction filter bank used for computing the DWT. The accuracy and efficiency with which the filter coefficients are quantized in a multiplierless implementation impacts the image compression and hardware performance of the filter bank. A high precision representation ensures good compression performance, but at the cost of increased hardware resources and processing time. Conversely, lower precision in the filter coefficients results in smaller, faster hardware, but at the cost of poor compression performance. In addition to filter coefficient quantization, the filter bank structure also determines critical hardware properties such as throughput and power consumption. This thesis first investigates filter coefficient quantization strategies and filter bank structures for the hardware implementation of the biorthogonal 9/7 wavelet filters in a traditional convolution-based filter bank. Two new filter bank properties—"no-distortion-mse" and "deviation-at-dc"—are identified as critical to compression performance, and two new "compensating" filter coefficient quantization methods are developed to minimize degradation of these properties. The results indicate that the best performance is obtained by using a cascade form for the filters with coefficients quantized using the "compensating zeros" technique. The hardware properties of this implementation are then improved by developing a cascade polyphase structure that increases throughput and decreases power consumption. Next, this thesis investigates implementations of the lifting structure—an orthogonal structure that is more robust to coefficient quantization than the traditional convolution-based filter bank in computing the DWT. Novel, optimal filter coefficient quantization techniques are developed for a rational and an irrational set of lifting coefficients. The results indicate that the best quantized lifting coefficient set is obtained by starting with the rational coefficient set and using a "lumped scaling" and "gain compensation" technique for coefficient quantization. Finally, the image compression properties and hardware properties of the convolution and lifting based DWT implementations are compared. Although the lifting structure requires fewer computations, the cascaded arrangement of the lifting filters requires significant hardware overhead. Consequently, the results depict that the convolution-based cascade polyphase structure (with "<i>z</i>₁-compensated" coefficients) gives the best performance in terms of image compression performance and hardware metrics like throughput, latency and power consumption. / Master of Science

Average consensus is a fundamental concept in distributed computing, where distributed agents exchange messages in order to obtain the average of their ini- tial values without relying on a centralized computing unit. However, achiev- ing average consensus in the presence of communication imperfections, such as quantization and random link or node failures, becomes more challenging. This thesis evaluates various average consensus algorithms regarding their ability to mitigate quantization effects and explores node dropout for reducing communi- cation cost per iteration. It also identifies the conditions required for achieving average consensus in both scenarios.  The first part of this thesis deals with average consensus with quantized up- dates, comparing algorithms such as quantized gossip, average preserving quan- tized gossip, and CHOCO-GOSSIP. CHOCO-GOSSIP stands out as the most ef- fective algorithm, which shows the importance of pre-compensating the quanti- zation error before transmitting the node values. Among other algorithms, aver- age preserving quantized gossip shows slightly better performance. Additionally, graphs with higher connectivity tend to perform better.  The second part of this thesis focuses on energy-efficient average consensus with random node dropout. It compares the optimized node dropout proba- bilities with heuristic designs such as the degree-based method and Metropolis- Hastings method. The degree-based method is shown to give good convergence performance despite its simplicity. Furthermore, in irregular graphs, the perfor- mance difference between optimized probabilities and heuristic designs tends to be more pronounced.

Dans la partie principale de cette these on considère la theorie euclidienne constructive des champs. La théorie constructive (ou la renormalisation constructive) propose l'étude mathématiquement rigoureuse de l'existence et des propriétés non perturbatives de la théorie quantique des champs. Les méthodes traditionnelles de la théorie constructive sont les développements en amas et le groupe de renormalisation de Wilson. Mais il y a aussi des défauts de ces deux méthodes: premièrement, les techniques du développement en amas et de Mayer sont compliquées, donc sont difficiles à utiliser. Deuxièmement, ces méthodes ne peuvent pas s'appliquer pour les théories quantiques des champs noncommutatives, où il n'y a pas de localité sur l'espace et l'interaction est non-locale.Récemment une nouvelle méthode a été trouvée qui s'appelle loop vertex expansion (LVE), ou développement de vertex à boucle, qui est une combinaison de la technique des champs intermédiaires et de la formule des forêt (la formule de BKAR), qui peut résoudre ces deux problèmes avec succès.Avec cette méthode, on n'a pas besoin du développement de Mayer et le développement en amas est aussi simplifié. Et comme le terme d'interaction devient non-local aussi, cette méthode s'applique bien pour les théories quantique des champs noncommutatives, par exemple, le modèle de Grosse-Wulkenhaar, qui est un modèle λΦ4 avec un potentiel harmonique dans l'espace de Moyal. C'est le premier modèle de la théorie quantique des champs noncommutative qui est renormalisable. De plus, la fonction β est nulle quand on attend le point fixe ultraviolet de cette théorie. Donc c'est aussi un modèle naturel qu'on peut construire non-perturbativement.Dans cette thèse nous allons construire le modèle de Grosse-Wulkenhaar à 2-dimensions avec la LVE.Dans le reste de cette these nous considerons aussi la construction des varieties noncommutative par les états coherents et les polynomes topological pour les graphes de Feyman dans les théorie commutatives et noncommutatives. / The main subject of this thesis is about a new method of constructive renormalization theory, called the Loop vertex expansion (LVE). Constructive renormalization theory is to study the nonperturbative properties of Euclidean quantum field theory. The traditional methods are cluster/Mayer expansions and the renormalization group analysis. But these methods are not suitable for the construction of quantum field theories defined on noncommutative manifolds. Since in the noncommutative quantum fields theories the interactions are nonlocal, the Cluster and Mayer expansions fail to work. This problem could be solved by the loop vertex expansion method, which is a combination of the intermediate fields technique with the BKAR tree formula. The reason is that in the intermediate field representation of the partition function the interactions are also nonlocal. The Grosse-Wulkenhaar model is a is a quantum theory of scalar fields defined in the noncommutative Moyal space with harmonic potential. This model is not only renormalisable to all orders but also the beta function is zero at the fixed point of this theory. So this model is a candidate to be fully constructed.As a first step, we constructed the 2-dimensional Grosse-Wulkenhaar model, with the method of loop vertex expansions. In this thesis we studied also the construction of other noncommutative manifolds, namely the noncommutative type 1 Cartan domain, with the method of coherent states quantization. We studied also the graph polynomials for commutative and noncommutative quantum field theories.

Une nouvelle approche du traitement de l'image, appelée SOM-QE, qui exploite quantization error (QE) des self-organizing maps (SOM) est proposée dans cette thèse. Les SOM produisent des représentations discrètes de faible dimension des données d'entrée de haute dimension. QE est déterminée à partir des résultats du processus d'apprentissage non supervisé du SOM et des données d'entrée. SOM-QE d'une série chronologique d'images peut être utilisé comme indicateur de changements dans la série chronologique. Pour configurer SOM, on détermine la taille de la carte, la distance du voisinage, le rythme d'apprentissage et le nombre d'itérations dans le processus d'apprentissage. La combinaison de ces paramètres, qui donne la valeur la plus faible de QE, est considérée comme le jeu de paramètres optimal et est utilisée pour transformer l'ensemble de données. C'est l'utilisation de l'assouplissement quantitatif. La nouveauté de la technique SOM-QE est quadruple : d'abord dans l'usage. SOM-QE utilise un SOM pour déterminer la QE de différentes images - typiquement, dans un ensemble de données de séries temporelles - contrairement à l'utilisation traditionnelle où différents SOMs sont appliqués sur un ensemble de données. Deuxièmement, la valeur SOM-QE est introduite pour mesurer l'uniformité de l'image. Troisièmement, la valeur SOM-QE devient une étiquette spéciale et unique pour l'image dans l'ensemble de données et quatrièmement, cette étiquette est utilisée pour suivre les changements qui se produisent dans les images suivantes de la même scène. Ainsi, SOM-QE fournit une mesure des variations à l'intérieur de l'image à une instance dans le temps, et lorsqu'il est comparé aux valeurs des images subséquentes de la même scène, il révèle une visualisation transitoire des changements dans la scène à l'étude. Dans cette recherche, l'approche a été appliquée à l'imagerie artificielle, médicale et géographique pour démontrer sa performance. Les scientifiques et les ingénieurs s'intéressent aux changements qui se produisent dans les scènes géographiques d'intérêt, comme la construction de nouveaux bâtiments dans une ville ou le recul des lésions dans les images médicales. La technique SOM-QE offre un nouveau moyen de détection automatique de la croissance dans les espaces urbains ou de la progression des maladies, fournissant des informations opportunes pour une planification ou un traitement approprié. Dans ce travail, il est démontré que SOM-QE peut capturer de très petits changements dans les images. Les résultats confirment également qu'il est rapide et moins coûteux de faire la distinction entre le contenu modifié et le contenu inchangé dans les grands ensembles de données d'images. La corrélation de Pearson a confirmé qu'il y avait des corrélations statistiquement significatives entre les valeurs SOM-QE et les données réelles de vérité de terrain. Sur le plan de l'évaluation, cette technique a donné de meilleurs résultats que les autres approches existantes. Ce travail est important car il introduit une nouvelle façon d'envisager la détection rapide et automatique des changements, même lorsqu'il s'agit de petits changements locaux dans les images. Il introduit également une nouvelle méthode de détermination de QE, et les données qu'il génère peuvent être utilisées pour prédire les changements dans un ensemble de données de séries chronologiques. / A new approach for image processing, dubbed SOM-QE, that exploits the quantization error (QE) from self-organizing maps (SOM) is proposed in this thesis. SOM produce low-dimensional discrete representations of high-dimensional input data. QE is determined from the results of the unsupervised learning process of SOM and the input data. SOM-QE from a time-series of images can be used as an indicator of changes in the time series. To set-up SOM, a map size, the neighbourhood distance, the learning rate and the number of iterations in the learning process are determined. The combination of these parameters that gives the lowest value of QE, is taken to be the optimal parameter set and it is used to transform the dataset. This has been the use of QE. The novelty in SOM-QE technique is fourfold: first, in the usage. SOM-QE employs a SOM to determine QE for different images - typically, in a time series dataset - unlike the traditional usage where different SOMs are applied on one dataset. Secondly, the SOM-QE value is introduced as a measure of uniformity within the image. Thirdly, the SOM-QE value becomes a special, unique label for the image within the dataset and fourthly, this label is used to track changes that occur in subsequent images of the same scene. Thus, SOM-QE provides a measure of variations within the image at an instance in time, and when compared with the values from subsequent images of the same scene, it reveals a transient visualization of changes in the scene of study. In this research the approach was applied to artificial, medical and geographic imagery to demonstrate its performance. Changes that occur in geographic scenes of interest, such as new buildings being put up in a city or lesions receding in medical images are of interest to scientists and engineers. The SOM-QE technique provides a new way for automatic detection of growth in urban spaces or the progressions of diseases, giving timely information for appropriate planning or treatment. In this work, it is demonstrated that SOM-QE can capture very small changes in images. Results also confirm it to be fast and less computationally expensive in discriminating between changed and unchanged contents in large image datasets. Pearson's correlation confirmed that there was statistically significant correlations between SOM-QE values and the actual ground truth data. On evaluation, this technique performed better compared to other existing approaches. This work is important as it introduces a new way of looking at fast, automatic change detection even when dealing with small local changes within images. It also introduces a new method of determining QE, and the data it generates can be used to predict changes in a time series dataset.

Nesta dissertação apresentamos um método de quantização matemática e conceitualmente rigoroso para o campo escalar livre de interações. Trazemos de início alguns aspéctos importantes da Teoria de Distribuições e colocamos alguns pontos de geometria Lorentziana. O restante do trabalho é dividido em duas partes: na primeira, estudamos equações de onda em variedades Lorentzianas globalmente hiperbólicas e apresentamos o conceito de soluções fundamentais no contexto de equações locais. Em seguida, progressivamente construímos soluções fundamentais para o operador de onda a partir da distribuição de Riesz. Uma vez estabelecida uma solução para a equação de onda em uma vizinhança de um ponto da variedade, tratamos de construir uma solução global a partir da extensão do problema de Cauchy a toda a variedade, donde as soluções fundamentais dão lugar aos operadores de Green a partir da introdução de uma condição de contorno. Na última parte do trabalho, apresentamos um mínimo da Teoria de Categorias e Funtores para utilizar esse formalismo na contrução de um funtor de segunda quantização entre a categoria de variedades Lorentzianas globalmente hiperbólicas e a categoria de redes de álgebras C* satisfazendo os axiomas de Haag-Kastler. Ao fim, retomamos o caso particular do campo escalar quântico livre. / In this thesis we present a both mathematical and conceptually rigorous quantization method for the neutral scalar field free of interactions. Initially, we introduce some aspects of the Theory of Distributions and we establish some points of Lorentzian geometry. The rest of the work is divided in two parts: in the first one, we study wave equations on globally hyperbolic Lorentzian manifolds, hence presenting the concept of fundamental solutions within the context of locally defined wave equations. Next, we progressively construct fundamental solutions for the wave operator from the Riesz distribution. Once established a solution to the wave equation in a neighbourhood of a point of the manifold, we move forward to produce a global solution from the extension of the Cauchy problem to the whole manifold. At this stage, fundamental solutions are replaced by Green\'s operators by the imposition of appropriate boundary conditions. In the last part, we present a minimum on the Theory of Categories and Functors. This is followed by the use of this formalism in the development of a second-quantization functor between the category of Lorentzian globally hyperbolic manifolds and the category of nets of C*-algebras obeying Haag-Kastler axioms. Finally, we turn our attention to the particular case of the quantum free scalar field.

Due to its significant advantage in spectral efficiency, multiple-antenna communication technology will undoubtedly be a major component in future wireless system implementations. However, the full exploitation of this technology also requires perfect feedback of channel state information (CSI) to the transmitter-- something that is not practically feasible. This motivates the study of limited feedback systems, where CSI feedback is rate limited. This thesis focuses on the optimal design of limited feedback systems for three types of communication channels: the relay channel, the single-user point-to-point channel, and the multiuser broadcast channel. For the relay channel, we prove the efficiency of the Grassmannian codebooks as the source and relay beamforming codebooks, and propose a method for CSI exchange between the relay and the destination when global CSI is not available at destination. For the single-user point-to-point channel, we study the joint power control and beamforming problem and address the channel magnitude and direction quantization codebook design problem. It is shown that uniform quantization of the channel magnitude (in dB scale) is asymptotically optimal regardless of the channel distribution. The analysis further derives the optimal split of feedback bandwidth between the magnitude and direction quantization codebooks. For the multiuser broadcast channel, we first prove the sufficiency of a product magnitude-direction quantization codebook for managing the multiuser interference. We then derive the optimal split of feedback bandwidth across the users and their magnitude and direction codebooks. The optimization results reveal an inherent structural difference between the single-user and multiuser quantization codebooks: a multiuser codebook should have a finer direction quantization resolution as compared to a single-user codebook. It is further shown that the users expecting higher rates and requiring more reliable communication should provide a finer quantization of their CSI. Finally, we determine the minimum required total feedback rate based on users' quality-of-service constraints and derive the scaling of the system performance with the total feedback rate.

Due to its significant advantage in spectral efficiency, multiple-antenna communication technology will undoubtedly be a major component in future wireless system implementations. However, the full exploitation of this technology also requires perfect feedback of channel state information (CSI) to the transmitter-- something that is not practically feasible. This motivates the study of limited feedback systems, where CSI feedback is rate limited. This thesis focuses on the optimal design of limited feedback systems for three types of communication channels: the relay channel, the single-user point-to-point channel, and the multiuser broadcast channel. For the relay channel, we prove the efficiency of the Grassmannian codebooks as the source and relay beamforming codebooks, and propose a method for CSI exchange between the relay and the destination when global CSI is not available at destination. For the single-user point-to-point channel, we study the joint power control and beamforming problem and address the channel magnitude and direction quantization codebook design problem. It is shown that uniform quantization of the channel magnitude (in dB scale) is asymptotically optimal regardless of the channel distribution. The analysis further derives the optimal split of feedback bandwidth between the magnitude and direction quantization codebooks. For the multiuser broadcast channel, we first prove the sufficiency of a product magnitude-direction quantization codebook for managing the multiuser interference. We then derive the optimal split of feedback bandwidth across the users and their magnitude and direction codebooks. The optimization results reveal an inherent structural difference between the single-user and multiuser quantization codebooks: a multiuser codebook should have a finer direction quantization resolution as compared to a single-user codebook. It is further shown that the users expecting higher rates and requiring more reliable communication should provide a finer quantization of their CSI. Finally, we determine the minimum required total feedback rate based on users' quality-of-service constraints and derive the scaling of the system performance with the total feedback rate.

Nesta dissertação apresentamos um método de quantização matemática e conceitualmente rigoroso para o campo escalar livre de interações. Trazemos de início alguns aspéctos importantes da Teoria de Distribuições e colocamos alguns pontos de geometria Lorentziana. O restante do trabalho é dividido em duas partes: na primeira, estudamos equações de onda em variedades Lorentzianas globalmente hiperbólicas e apresentamos o conceito de soluções fundamentais no contexto de equações locais. Em seguida, progressivamente construímos soluções fundamentais para o operador de onda a partir da distribuição de Riesz. Uma vez estabelecida uma solução para a equação de onda em uma vizinhança de um ponto da variedade, tratamos de construir uma solução global a partir da extensão do problema de Cauchy a toda a variedade, donde as soluções fundamentais dão lugar aos operadores de Green a partir da introdução de uma condição de contorno. Na última parte do trabalho, apresentamos um mínimo da Teoria de Categorias e Funtores para utilizar esse formalismo na contrução de um funtor de segunda quantização entre a categoria de variedades Lorentzianas globalmente hiperbólicas e a categoria de redes de álgebras C* satisfazendo os axiomas de Haag-Kastler. Ao fim, retomamos o caso particular do campo escalar quântico livre. / In this thesis we present a both mathematical and conceptually rigorous quantization method for the neutral scalar field free of interactions. Initially, we introduce some aspects of the Theory of Distributions and we establish some points of Lorentzian geometry. The rest of the work is divided in two parts: in the first one, we study wave equations on globally hyperbolic Lorentzian manifolds, hence presenting the concept of fundamental solutions within the context of locally defined wave equations. Next, we progressively construct fundamental solutions for the wave operator from the Riesz distribution. Once established a solution to the wave equation in a neighbourhood of a point of the manifold, we move forward to produce a global solution from the extension of the Cauchy problem to the whole manifold. At this stage, fundamental solutions are replaced by Green\'s operators by the imposition of appropriate boundary conditions. In the last part, we present a minimum on the Theory of Categories and Functors. This is followed by the use of this formalism in the development of a second-quantization functor between the category of Lorentzian globally hyperbolic manifolds and the category of nets of C*-algebras obeying Haag-Kastler axioms. Finally, we turn our attention to the particular case of the quantum free scalar field.

L'objectif de ce travail de thèse est de développer une bibliothèque de modules IPs (Intellectual Properties) de simulateurs temps réel embarqués qui simulent différents éléments d'un système électrique. Ces modules ont été conçus pour être utiliser non seulement pour une validation HIL (Hardware-In-the-Loop) des commandes numériques mais aussi pour des applications de commande embarquées, où le module IP de simulateur et le contrôleur sont tous les deux implémentés et exécutés dans la même cible FPGA. Cette nouvelle classe de simulateurs temps réel devrait être de plus en plus incluse dans la prochaine génération de contrôleurs numériques. En effet, ces modules IPs de simulateurs temps réel embarqués peuvent être avantageusement intégrés dans les contrôleurs numériques pour assurer des fonctions comme l'observation, l'estimation, le diagnostic où la surveillance de la santé. Inversement aux cas de HIL, le principal défi lors de la conception de tels simulateurs est de faire face à leur complexité ayant à l'esprit que, dans le cas des systèmes embarqués, les ressources matérielles disponibles sont limitées en raison du coût. En outre, ce problème est renforcé par la nécessité des pas de simulation très petit. Ceci est généralement le cas lors de la simulation des convertisseurs de puissance.Pour développer ces modules IPs, des lignes directrices dédiés de conception ont été proposées pour être suivies pour gérer la complexité de ces simulateurs (solveur de modèle, solveur numérique, pas de simulation, conditionnement de données) tout en tenant compte des contraintes temporelles et matérielles/coût (temps de calcul limité, ressources matérielles limitées ...).Les modules IPs de simulateurs à développer ont été organisés en deux catégories principales: ceux qui sont consacrées aux éléments électromagnétiques d'un système électrique, et ceux dédiés à ses éléments commutés.La première catégorie regroupe les éléments où les phénomènes électriques, magnétiques sont modélisés en plus de phénomènes mécaniques (pour les parties mécaniques) et des phénomènes potentiellement thermiques. Trois cas sont traités: le simulateur temps réel embarqué d'une machine synchrone triphasée, celui d'une machine asynchrone triphasée et celui d'un alternateur synchrone à trois étages. En plus de cela, les avantages de l'utilisation de la transformation delta pour améliorer la stabilité du solveur numérique lorsque un petit pas de calcul et le codage virgule fixe (avec une précision de données limitée) sont utilisés, ont été étudiés.La deuxième catégorie concerne des éléments commutés tels que les convertisseurs de puissance où les événements de commutation sont considérés. Là encore, plusieurs topologies de convertisseurs ont été étudiées: un redresseur simple alternance, un hacheur série, un hacheur réversible en courant, un hacheur quatre quadrant, un onduleur monophasé, un onduleur triphasé, un redresseur à diodes triphasé et un redresseur MLI triphasé. Pour tous ces modules IPs de simulateurs, l'approche de modélisation ADC (Associated Discrete Circuit) est adoptée.Le module IP de simulateur temps réel embarqué du redresseur MLI a été appliqué dans un contexte d'une application embarquée. Cette dernière consiste en une commande tolérante aux défauts d'un convertisseur de tension coté réseau. Ainsi, ce module IP est associé à celui d'un simulateur temps réel d'un filtre RL triphasé et les deux sont embarqués dans le dispositif de commande du redresseur pour estimer les courants de lignes. Ces courants sont injectés dans le dispositif de commande dans le cas d'un défaut de capteur de courant. La capacité de cet estimateur de garantir la continuité de service en cas de défauts est validée par des tests HIL et expérimentalement. / The aim of this thesis work is to develop an IP-Library of FPGA-based embedded real-time simulator IPs (Intellectual Properties) that simulate different elements of an electrical system. These IPs have been designed to be used not only for Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) testing of digital controllers but also for low cost embedded control applications, where the simulator IP and the controller are both implemented and run altogether in the same FPGA device. This emerging class of real-time simulators is expected to be more and more included in the next generation of digital controllers. Indeed, such embedded real-time simulator IPs can be advantageously embedded within digital controllers to ensure functions like observation, estimation, diagnostic or health-monitoring. Conversely to the HIL case, the main challenge when designing such simulator IPs is to cope with their complexity having in mind that, in the case of embedded systems, the available hardware resources are limited due to the cost. Furthermore, this challenge is strengthened by the need of very short simulation time-steps which is typically the case when simulating power converters.To develop these IPs, dedicated design guidelines have been proposed to be followed to manage the complexity of these simulator IPs (model solver, numerical solver, time-step, data conditioning) with regards to the timing and the area/cost constraints (computation time limit, limited hardware resources …).The simulators IPs to be developed have been organized into two main categories: those dedicated to electromagnetic elements of an electrical system and those dedicated to their switching elements.The first category gathers elements where electric, magnetic phenomena are modelized in addition to mechanical phenomena (for moving systems) and potentially thermal phenomena. Three cases are dealt with: the embedded real-time simulator of a three-phase synchronous machine, the one of a three-phase induction machine and the one of a brushless synchronous generator. Also, the advantages of using delta transformation to improve the stability of the numerical solver when short simulation time-step and fixed-point (with limited data precision) are used, have been studied.The second category concerns switching elements such as power converters where switching events are considered. Here again, several converter topologies have been studied: a half-wave rectifier, a buck DC-DC converter, a bidirectional buck DC-DC converter, a H-bridge DC-DC converter, a single-phase H-bridge DC-AC converter, a three-phase voltage source inverter, a three-phase diode rectifier and a three-phase PWM rectifier. For all these IPs, the Associated Discrete Circuit (ADC) modeling approach is adopted.The embedded real-time simulator IP of the three-phase PWM rectifier has been applied in the context of an embedded application. The latter consists of a fault-tolerant control of a grid-connected voltage source rectifier. Thus, this simulator IP is associated with the one of a three-phase RL-filter and are both implemented within the rectifier controller to estimate the grid currents. These currents are injected in the controller in the case of a current sensor fault. The ability of this estimator to guarantee the service continuity in the case of faults is validated through HIL tests and experiments.

Thesis (MSc (Physics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Non-commutative quantum mechanics is a generalisation of quantum mechanics which incorporates the notion of a fundamental shortest length scale by introducing non-commuting position coordinates. Various theories of quantum gravity indicate the existence of such a shortest length scale in nature. It has furthermore been realised that certain condensed matter systems allow effective descriptions in terms of non-commuting coordinates. As a result, non-commutative quantum mechanics has received increasing attention recently. A consistent formulation and interpretation of non-commutative quantum mechanics, which unambiguously defines position measurement within the existing framework of quantum mechanics, was recently presented by Scholtz et al. This thesis builds on the latter formalism, extends it to many-particle systems and links it up with non-commutative quantum field theory via second quantisation. It is shown that interactions of particles, among themselves and with external potentials, are altered as a result of the fuzziness induced by non-commutativity. For potential scattering, generic increases are found for the differential and total scattering cross sections. Furthermore, the recovery of a scattering potential from scattering data is shown to involve a suppression of high energy contributions, disallowing divergent interaction forces. Likewise, the effective statistical interaction among fermions and bosons is modified, leading to an apparent violation of Pauli’s exclusion principle and foretelling implications for thermodynamics at high densities. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Nie-kommutatiewe kwantummeganika is ’n veralgemening van kwantummeganika wat die idee van ’n fundamentele kortste lengteskaal invoer d.m.v. nie-kommuterende ko¨ordinate. Verskeie teorie¨e van kwantum-grawitasie dui op die bestaan van so ’n kortste lengteskaal in die natuur. Dit is verder uitgewys dat sekere gekondenseerde materie sisteme effektiewe beskrywings in terme van nie-kommuterende koordinate toelaat. Gevolglik het die veld van nie-kommutatiewe kwantummeganika onlangs toenemende aandag geniet. ’n Konsistente formulering en interpretasie van nie-kommutatiewe kwantummeganika, wat posisiemetings eenduidig binne bestaande kwantummeganika raamwerke defineer, is onlangs voorgestel deur Scholtz et al. Hierdie tesis brei uit op hierdie formalisme, veralgemeen dit tot veeldeeltjiesisteme en koppel dit aan nie-kommutatiewe kwantumveldeteorie d.m.v. tweede kwantisering. Daar word gewys dat interaksies tussen deeltjies en met eksterne potensiale verander word as gevolg van nie-kommutatiwiteit. Vir potensiale verstrooi ¨ıng verskyn generiese toenames vir die differensi¨ele and totale verstroi¨ıngskanvlak. Verder word gewys dat die herkonstruksie van ’n verstrooi¨ıngspotensiaal vanaf verstrooi¨ıngsdata ’n onderdrukking van ho¨e-energiebydrae behels, wat divergente interaksiekragte verbied. Soortgelyk word die effektiewe statistiese interaksie tussen fermione en bosone verander, wat ly tot ’n skynbare verbreking van Pauli se uitsluitingsbeginsel en dui op verdere gevolge vir termodinamika by ho¨e digthede.