Hipóxia é definida como a baixa teor de oxigênio. Nos tumores a principal causa da hipóxia é a isquemia, que ocorre em função do rápido crescimento da massa tumoral e diminuição ou obstrução dos vasos sanguíneos que irrigam o interior dos tumores. Como a hipóxia é uma das causas do aumento da resistência à radioterapia de radiação e algumas formas de quimioterapia, a identificação de tumores com regiões de hipóxia é de elevada relevância e a utilização de radiofármacos tem sido muito promissora, por ser um método não invasivo e que podem mapear diferentes alterações fisiológicas associadas à hipóxia. Neste trabalho sintetizamos o ligante [[99mTc](O)2HL91], com rendimento final de síntese de 82,6% e preparamos o respectivo complexo de tecnécio, com eficiência de marcação maior que 97 %; também foi preparado o radiofármaco (18F)FAZA, com eficiência de marcação de 17,9% e pureza radioquímica, após purificação, maior que 86 %. Estudos de captação em células de melanoma murino B16F10, apresentaram taxa de captação de 0,73%, em condições de normóxia e de 8,5 % em condições de hipóxia para o [[99mTc](O)2HL91] , sobe as mesmas condições, de 0,73% e 0,98%, para o (18F)FAZA, respectivamente. Estudos de biodistribuição ex vivo mostraram taxa de captação em tumores da ordem de 4,3% para o [[99mTc](O)2HL91] e de 0,56% para o (18F)FAZA, a relação tumor/sangue foi de 2,6% e 2,5%, respectivamente. Para ambos os rins são a principal via de excreção. Análise, por autorradiografia, de cortes dos tumores mostraram claramente a concentração do [[99mTc](O)2HL91] em regiões de hipóxia/necrose. Imagem da distribuição dos radiofármacos em camundongos C57/Bl6, com tumores de células B16F10, utilizando sistema hibrido PET/SPECT/CT dedicado a pequenos animais, mostraram que a concentração do [[99mTc](O)2HL91] permitiu visualizar captação difusa em regiões do tumor, o mesmo foi observado para o (18F)FAZA, mas em uma taxa menor. Em conclusão, os resultados obtidos apresentam as possibilidades de preparação e utilização de dois radiofármacos, o [[99mTc](O)2HL91] e o (18F)FAZA, como agentes marcadores para hipóxia, utilizando as técnicas de SPECT e PET para imagem. Todavia, novos estudos deverão ser realizados para determinação da especificidade desses radiofármacos em diferentes linhagens tumorais / Hypoxia is a deficiency of oxygen in the cell. In tumors the primary cause of hypoxia is ischemia, which occurs due to the rapid growth of the tumor mass and reduction or blockage of the blood vessels decreasing nutrients and oxygen supply in more internal regions of the tumors. Once hypoxia is one cause of the increased resistance to radiation therapy and some forms of chemotherapy, their identification in tumors is highly relevant and use of radiopharmaceuticals has been very promising, because it is a noninvasive and can map different physiological changes associated with hypoxia. In this work, we synthesized the ligand [[99mTc](O)2HL91] given a final synthesis yield of 82.6% and prepared their technetium complex with the labeling efficiency greater than 97%, the (18F)FAZA radiopharmaceutical was also prepared with labeling yield of 17.9% and marking radiochemical purity higher of 86 %, after purification. Uptake studies in murine B16F10 melanoma cells showed uptake rate of 0.73% in normoxic conditions and 8.5% in hypoxic conditions, for [[99mTc](O)2HL91], and, under same conditions, 0.73% and 0.98%, for (18F)FAZA. Ex vivo biodistribution study showed uptake rate in tumors of approximately 4.3% for [[99mTc](O)2HL91] and 0.56% for (18F)FAZA, the tumor/blood ratio was 2.6% and 2.5% respectively. For both products the main route 16 of excretion was by the kidneys. Analysis by autoradiography of tumors sections clearly showed the concentration of [[99mTc](O)2HL91] in hypoxia/necrosis regions. The distribution of radiopharmaceuticals in C57/Bl6 mice implanted with tumor B16F10 cells, using dedicated small animals hybrid system PET/SPECT/C, permitted to observe the uptake of the [[99mTc](O)2HL91] in diffuses points in the tumor regions, the same was observed for the (18F)FAZA, but with lower intensity. In conclusion, the results obtained show possibilities for preparation and use of both radiopharmaceuticals, the [[99mTc](O)2HL91] and (18F)FAZA as agents for hypoxia marker, using the SPECT and PET image techniques. However, further studies should be conducted to determine the specificity of these radiopharmaceuticals in different tumor cell lines

In dieser Doktorarbeit werden zwei Konzepte der Quanteninformationsverarbeitung realisiert. Der Quantenschlüsselaustausch ist revolutionär, weil er perfekte Sicherheit gewährleistet. Zahlreiche Quantenkryptografieprotokolle wurden schon untersucht. Zwei Probleme bestehen. Zum einen ist es sehr schwer, die Bedingungen herzustellen, die in den Annahmen für perfekte Sicherheit impliziert sind. Zum anderen sind die Reichweiten auf momentan etwa 200 km begrenzt, aufgrund des abnehmenden Signals gegenüber des konstanten Rauschens. Ein Experiment dieser Doktorarbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem ersten Problem. Insbesondere der übertragene Quantenzustands ist kritisch für die Sicherheit des Verfahrens. Es werden Einzelphotonen von Stickstoff- Fehlstellen-Zentren und zum ersten Mal von Silizium-Fehlstellen-Zentren für einen Quantenschlüsselaustausch mit Hilfe des BB84-Protokolls benutzt. Die Abweichung von idealen Einzelphotonenzuständen sowie deren Bedeutung für die Sicherheit werden analysiert. Die Übertragung von Quantenzuständen via Satellit könnte das Problem der begrenzten Reichweite lösen. Das neue Frequenz-Zeit- Protokoll eignet sich dafür besonders gut. Es wird während dieser Arbeit zum ersten Mal überhaupt implementiert. Umfangreiche Untersuchungen inklusive der Variation wesentlicher experimenteller Parameter geben Aufschluss über die Leistungsfähigkeit und Sicherheit des Protokolls. Außerdem werden elementare Bestandteile eines vollautomatischen Experiments zum Quantenschlüsselaustausch über Glasfasern in der sogenannten Time-bin-Implementierung mit autonomem Sender und Empfänger realisiert. Ein anderes Konzept der Quanteninformationsverarbeitung ist die Herstellung zufälliger Bitfolgen durch den Quantenzufall. Zufällige Bitfolgen haben zahlreiche Anwendungsgebiete in der Kryptografie und der Informatik. Die Realisierung eines Quantenzufallszahlengenerators mit mathematisch beschreibbarer und getesteter Zufälligkeit und hoher Bitrate wird ebenfalls beschrieben. / In this thesis, photonic quantum states are used for experimental realisations of two different concepts of quantum information processing. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is revolutionary because it is the only cryptographic scheme offering unconditional security. Two major problems prevail: Firstly, matching the conditions for unconditional security is challenging, secondly, long distance communication beyond 200 km is very demanding because an increasingly attenuated quantum state starts to fail the competition with constant noise. One experiment accomplished in this thesis is concerned with the first problem. The realisation of the actual quantum state is critical. Single photon states from nitrogen and for the first time also silicon vacancy defect centres are used for a QKD transmission under the BB84 (Bennett and Brassard 1984). The deviation of the used single photon states from the ideal state is thoroughly investigated and the information an eavesdropper obtains due to this deviation is analysed. Transmitting quantum states via satellites is a potential solution to the limited achievable distances in QKD. A novel protocol particularly suited for this is implemented for the first time in this thesis, the frequency-time (FT) protocol. The protocol is thoroughly investigated by varying the experimental parameters over a wide range and by evaluating the impact on the performance and the security. Finally, big steps towards a fully automated fibre-based BB84 QKD experiment in the time-bin implementation with autonomous sender and receiver units are accomplished. Another important concept using quantum mechanical properties as a resource is a quantum random number generator (QRNG). Random numbers are used for various applications in computing and cryptography. A QRNG supplying bits with high and quantifiable randomness at a record-breaking rate is reported and the statistical properties of the random output is thoroughly tested.

A baixa oxigenação (hipóxia) altera drasticamente o metabolismo celular e a forma de produção de ATP, que em tumores pode estimular e permitir que as células desenvolvam mecanismos de escape, adaptação e resistência, contribuindo não só para um comportamento maligno e agressivo, mas também lhes conferindo resistência a tratamentos quimioterapêuticos e radioterapêuticos. A detecção de regiões de hipóxia em tumores pode ser realizada com diferentes radiofármacos. Neste trabalho preparamos e avaliamos o comportamento dos radiofármacos (18F)FAZA e [[99mTc]glucarato]- em células de melanoma murino B16F10, correlacionando dados bioquímicos e histopatológicos com a captação celular dos radiofármacos in vitro e com imagens em equipamento PET/SPECT/CT obtidas de camundongos C57Bl6 implantados com tumores. O (18F)FAZA foi obtido em rendimento de 17,9 % e pureza radioquímica de 86,72 %, enquanto que o rendimento e pureza radioquímica do [[99mTc]glucarato]- foi superior a 95 %, sendo que este complexo se liga à proteínas plasmáticas com taxa de aproximadamente 40 % e o complexo é desestabilizados pela mesmas, após 4 horas de incubação a 37 oC. O complexo também não é estável na presença de cisteína e histidina. A captação in vitro do [[99mTc]glucarato]- nas células foi da ordem de 0,1 % independente da condição e do tempo, enquanto que a captação de (18F)FAZA atingiu 0,9 % sob hipóxia e 0,2 % sob normóxia, nos primeiros 15 minutos de estudo. A biodistribuição ex vivo em camundongos apresentou taxa de captação por grama de tumor e razão tumor/sangue da ordem de 0,04 % e 1,49 para o [[99mTc]glucarato]- e de 0,34 % e 1,39 para o (18F)FAZA, em tempo de 1 hora. Imagem obtidas de camundongos, mostraram intensa captação da (18F)FDG no tumor, e tanto (18F)FAZA quanto [[99mTc]glucarato]- foram capazes de evidenciar regiões de hipóxia ou necrose, respectivamente, nos tumores, ainda que com baixa taxa de captação. Imagens autorradiográficas do [[99mTc]glucarato]- nos tumores excisados dos animais apresentaram distribuição homogênea no tumor, com algumas áreas de captação sugeridas como necróticas; tomando a autorradiografia como referência, o [[99mTc]glucarato]- não se concentrou na córtex renal, região reconhecidamente hipóxica. Assim, (18F)FAZA e [[99mTc]glucarato]- puderam ser preparados em nosso laboratório com qualidade suficiente para uso em pesquisa e demonstram potencial para utilização em novos estudos visando a detecção de regiões de hipóxia ou necrose, respectivamente / The low oxygen concentration, also named hypoxia, drastically alters cellular metabolism and the production form of ATP which, in tumors, can stimulate and allow cells to develop mechanisms for escape, adaptation and resistance, contributing not only to malignant and aggressive behavior, but also their conferring resistance to chemotherapeutic and radiotherapeutic treatments. The detection of regions of hypoxia in tumors can be performed using different radiopharmaceuticals. In this work we prepared and evaluated the behavior of radiopharmaceuticals (18F)FAZA and [[99mTc]glucarate]- in B16F10 murine melanoma cells, biochemical and histopathological data correlating it with the radiopharmaceutical cellular uptake, both in vitro or by PET/SPECT/CT imaging obtained from C57Bl6 mice implanted with tumors. The (18F)FAZA was obtained in radiochemical yield of 17.8 % and radiochemical purity of 86.72 %, while the radiochemical yield and purity for [[99mTc]glucarate] - was higher to 95 %, and this complex binds to the plasma proteins at concentration of 40 %, however a the complex is unstable in presence of albumine after 4 hours, at 37 oC. The complex is unstable in the presence of cysteine and histidine, at 37 oC. The in vitro uptake of [[99mTc]glucarate]- in B16F10 cells was approximately 0.1% independently of experimental conditions, while (18F)FAZA reached 0.9%, under hypoxia, and 0.2%, under normoxia, the first 15 minutes of the study. The ex vivo biodistribution in mice showed uptake in tumor and tumor/blood ratio of the 0.04 % and 1.49 for [[99mTc]glucarate]- and 0.34 % and 1.39 for (18F)FAZA. Imaging obtained from mice showed intense uptake of (18F)FDG in the tumor, and both (18F)FAZA and [[99mTc]glucarate]- were able to show hypoxia or necrotic regions in the tumor. Autoradiographic imaging showed homogeneous distribution of [[99mTc]glucarate]- in the slices of tumor excised from animals; taking kidney autoradiography as a reference, the [[99mTc]glucarate]- was not concentrated in renal cortex, a region admittedly hypoxic. In conclusion (18F)FAZA and [[99mTc]glucarate]- could be prepared in our laboratory with sufficient quality for use in research and demonstrate potential for use in future studies aiming to detect regions of hypoxia and necrosis, respectively

The goal of this project is to study novel nanoscale excitation volumes, sensitive enoughto study individual chromophores and go on to study new and exciting self assemblyapproaches to this problem. Small excitation volumes may be engineered using light con-finement inside apertures in metal films. These apertures enhance fluorescence emissionrates, quantum yields, decrease fluorescence quenching, enable higher signal-to-noiseratios and allow higher concentration single chromophore fluorescence, to be studied byrestricting this excitation volume. Excitation volumes are reported on using the chro-mophore's fluorescence by utilising fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, which monitorsfluctuations in fluorescence intensity. From the correlation in time, we can find the res-idence time, the number of chromophores, the volume in which they are diffusing andtherefore the fluorescence emission efficiency. Fluorescence properties are a probe ofthe local environment, a particularly powerful tool due to the high brightness (quantumyield) fluorescent dyes and sensitive photo-detection equipment both of which are readilyavailable, (such as avalanche photodiodes and photomultiplier tubes). Novel materialscombining the properties of conducting and non-conducting materials at scales muchsmaller than the incident wavelength are known as meta-materials. These allow combi-nations of properties not usually possible in natural materials at optical frequencies. Theproperties reported so far include; negative refraction, negative phase velocity, fluorescenceemission enhancement, lensing and therefore light confinement has also been proposed tobe possible. Instead of expensive and slow lithography methods many of these materialsmay be fabricated with self assembly techniques, which are truly nanoscopic and otherwiseinaccessible with even the most sophisticated equipment. It was found that nanoscaled volumes from ZMW and HMMs based on NW arrays wereall inefficient at enhancing fluorescence. The primary cause was the reduced fluorescencelifetime reducing the fluorescence efficiency, which runs contrary to some commentatorsin the literature. NW based lensing was found to possible in the blue region of the opticalspectrum in a HMM, without the background fluorescence normally associated with a PAAtemplate. This was achieved using a pseudo-ordered array of relatively large nanowireswith a period just smaller than lambda / 2 which minimised losses. Nanowires in the traditionalregime lambda / 10 produced significant scattering and lead to diffraction, such that they werewholly unsuitable for an optical lensing application.

In this thesis, superconducting nanostructures for quantum detection of electromagnetic radiation are studied. In this regard, electrodynamics of topological excitations in 1D superconducting nanowires and 2D superconducting nanostrips is investigated. Topological excitations in superconducting nanowires and nanostrips lead to crucial deviation from the bulk properties. In 1D superconductors, topological excitations are phase slippages of the order parameter in which the magnitude of the order parameter locally drops to zero and the phase jumps by integer multiple of 2\pi. We investigate the effect of high-frequency field on 1D superconducting nanowires and derive the complex conductivity. Our study reveals that the rate of the quantum phase slips (QPSs) is exponentially enhanced under high-frequency irradiation. Based on this finding, we propose an energy-resolving terahertz radiation detector using superconducting nanowires. In superconducting nanostrips, topological fluctuations are the magnetic vortices. The motion of magnetic vortices result in dissipative processes that limit the efficiency of devices using superconducting nanostrips. It will be shown that in a multi-layer structure, the potential barrier for vortices to penetrate inside the structure is elevated. This results in significant reduction in dissipative process. In superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs), vortex motion results in dark counts and reduction of the critical current which results in low efficiency in these detectors. Based on this finding, we show that a multi-layer SNSPD is capable of approaching characteristics of an ideal single photon detector in terms of the dark count and quantum efficiency. It is shown that in a multi-layer SNSPD the photon coupling efficiency is dramatically enhanced due to the increase in the optical path of the incident photon.

Las enfermedades cardiovasculares (ECVs) son la principal causa de mortalidad en el mundo Occidental. El interés de prevenir y tratar las ECVs ha desencadenado un rápido desarrollo de los sistemas de adquisición de imágenes médicas. Por este motivo, la cantidad de datos de imagen recolectados en las instituciones de salud se ha incrementado considerablemente. Este hecho ha aumentado la necesidad de herramientas automatizadas para dar soporte al diagnóstico, mediante una interpretación de imagen confiable y reproducible. La tarea de interpretación requiere traducir los datos crudos de imagen en parámetros cuantitativos, los cuales son considerados relevantes para clasificar la condición cardiaca de un paciente. Para realizar tal tarea, los métodos basados en modelos estadísticos de forma han recibido favoritismo dada la naturaleza tridimensional (o 3D+t) de las imágenes cardiovasculares. Deformando el modelo estadístico de forma a la imagen de un paciente, el corazón puede analizarse de manera integral. Actualmente, el campo de las imágenes cardiovasculares esta constituido por diferentes modalidades. Cada modalidad explota diferentes fenómenos físicos, lo cual nos permite observar el órgano cardiaco desde diferentes ángulos. El personal clínico recopila todas estas piezas de información y las ensambla mentalmente en un modelo integral. Este modelo integral incluye información anatómica y funcional que muestra un cuadro completo del corazón del paciente. Es de alto interés transformar este modelo mental en un modelo computacional capaz de integrar la información de manera global. La generación de un modelo como tal no es simplemente un reto de visualización. Requiere una metodología capaz de extraer los parámetros cuantitativos relevantes basados en los mismos principios técnicos. Esto nos asegura que las mediciones se pueden comparar directamente. Tal metodología debe ser capaz de: 1) segmentar con precisión las cavidades cardiacas a partir de datos multimodales, 2) proporcionar un marco de referencia único para integrar múltiples fuentes de información, y 3) asistir la clasificación de la condición cardiaca del paciente. Esta tesis se basa en que los modelos estadísticos de forma, y en particular los Modelos Activos de Forma, son un método robusto y preciso con el potencial de incluir todos estos requerimientos. Para procesar múltiples modalidades de imagen, separamos la información estadística de forma de la información de apariencia. Obtenemos la información estadística de forma a partir de una modalidad de alta resolución y aprendemos la apariencia simulando la física de adquisición de otras modalidades. Las contribuciones de esta tesis pueden ser resumidas así: 1) un método genérico para construir automáticamente modelos de intensidad para los Modelos Activos de Forma simulando la física de adquisición de la modalidad en cuestión, 2) la primera extensión de un simulador de Resonancia Magnética Nuclear diseñado para producir estudios cardiacos realistas, y 3) un método novedoso para el entrenamiento automático de modelos de intensidad y de fiabilidad aplicado a estudios cardiacos de Resonancia Magnética Nuclear. Cada una de estas contribuciones representa un artículo publicado o enviado a una revista técnica internacional. / Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major cause of death in the Western world. The desire to prevent and treat CVDs has triggered a rapid development of medical imaging systems. As a consequence, the amount of imaging data collected in health care institutions has increased considerably. This fact has raised the need for automated analysis tools to support diagnosis with reliable and reproducible image interpretation. The interpretation task requires to translate raw imaging data into quantitative parameters, which are considered relevant to classify the patient’s cardiac condition. To achieve this task, statistical shape model approaches have found favoritism given the 3D (or 3D+t) nature of cardiovascular imaging datasets. By deforming the statistical shape model to image data from a patient, the heart can be analyzed in a more holistic way. Currently, the field of cardiovascular imaging is constituted by different modalities. Each modality exploits distinct physical phenomena, which allows us to observe the cardiac organ from different angles. Clinicians collect all these pieces of information to form an integrated mental model. The mental model includes anatomical and functional information to display a full picture of the patient’s heart. It is highly desirable to transform this mental model into a computational model able to integrate the information in a comprehensive manner. Generating such a model is not simply a visualization challenge. It requires having a methodology able to extract relevant quantitative parameters by applying the same principle. This assures that the measurements are directly comparable. Such a methodology should be able to: 1) accurately segment the cardiac cavities from multimodal datasets, 2) provide a unified frame of reference to integrate multiple information sources, and 3) aid the classification of a patient’s cardiac condition. This thesis builds upon the idea that statistical shape models, in particular Active Shape Models, are a robust and accurate approach with the potential to incorporate all these requirements. In order to handle multiple image modalities, we separate the statistical shape information from the appearance information. We obtain the statistical shape information from a high resolution modality and include the appearance information by simulating the physics of acquisition of other modalities. The contributions of this thesis can be summarized as: 1) a generic method to automatically construct intensity models for Active Shape Models based on simulating the physics of acquisition of the given imaging modality, 2) the first extension of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) simulator tailored to produce realistic cardiac images, and 3) a novel automatic intensity model and reliability training strategy applied to cardiac MRI studies. Each of these contributions represents an article published or submitted to a peer-review archival journal.

Ce mémoire est consacré à la compensation des effets de flous dans une image, communément appelés effets de volume partiel (EVP), avec comme objectif d’application l’amélioration qualitative et quantitative des images en médecine nucléaire. Ces effets sont la conséquence de la faible résolutions spatiale qui caractérise l’imagerie fonctionnelle par tomographie à émission mono-photonique (TEMP) ou tomographie à émission de positons (TEP) et peuvent être caractérisés par une perte de signal dans les tissus présentant une taille comparable à celle de la résolution spatiale du système d’imagerie, représentée par sa fonction de dispersion ponctuelle (FDP). Outre ce phénomène, les EVP peuvent également entrainer une contamination croisée des intensités entre structures adjacentes présentant des activités radioactives différentes. Cet effet peut conduire à une sur ou sous estimation des activités réellement présentes dans ces régions voisines. Différentes techniques existent actuellement pour atténuer voire corriger les EVP et peuvent être regroupées selon le fait qu’elles interviennent avant, durant ou après le processus de reconstruction des images et qu’elles nécessitent ou non la définition de régions d’intérêt provenant d’une imagerie anatomique de plus haute résolution(tomodensitométrie TDM ou imagerie par résonance magnétique IRM). L’approche post-reconstruction basée sur le voxel (ne nécessitant donc pas de définition de régions d’intérêt) a été ici privilégiée afin d’éviter la dépendance aux reconstructions propres à chaque constructeur, exploitée et améliorée afin de corriger au mieux des EVP. Deux axes distincts ont été étudiés. Le premier est basé sur une approche multi-résolution dans le domaine des ondelettes exploitant l’apport d’une image anatomique haute résolution associée à l’image fonctionnelle. Le deuxième axe concerne l’amélioration de processus de déconvolution itérative et ce par l’apport d’outils comme les ondelettes et leurs extensions que sont les curvelets apportant une dimension supplémentaire à l’analyse par la notion de direction. Ces différentes approches ont été mises en application et validées par des analyses sur images synthétiques, simulées et cliniques que ce soit dans le domaine de la neurologie ou dans celui de l’oncologie. Finalement, les caméras commerciales actuelles intégrant de plus en plus des corrections de résolution spatiale dans leurs algorithmes de reconstruction, nous avons choisi de comparer de telles approches en TEP et en TEMP avec une approche de déconvolution itérative proposée dans ce mémoire. / Partial Volume Effects (PVE) designates the blur commonly found in nuclear medicine images andthis PhD work is dedicated to their correction with the objectives of qualitative and quantitativeimprovement of such images. PVE arise from the limited spatial resolution of functional imaging witheither Positron Emission Tomography (PET) or Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography(SPECT). They can be defined as a signal loss in tissues of size similar to the Full Width at HalfMaximum (FWHM) of the PSF of the imaging device. In addition, PVE induce activity crosscontamination between adjacent structures with different tracer uptakes. This can lead to under or overestimation of the real activity of such analyzed regions. Various methodologies currently exist tocompensate or even correct for PVE and they may be classified depending on their place in theprocessing chain: either before, during or after the image reconstruction process, as well as theirdependency on co-registered anatomical images with higher spatial resolution, for instance ComputedTomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The voxel-based and post-reconstructionapproach was chosen for this work to avoid regions of interest definition and dependency onproprietary reconstruction developed by each manufacturer, in order to improve the PVE correction.Two different contributions were carried out in this work: the first one is based on a multi-resolutionmethodology in the wavelet domain using the higher resolution details of a co-registered anatomicalimage associated to the functional dataset to correct. The second one is the improvement of iterativedeconvolution based methodologies by using tools such as directional wavelets and curveletsextensions. These various developed approaches were applied and validated using synthetic, simulatedand clinical images, for instance with neurology and oncology applications in mind. Finally, ascurrently available PET/CT scanners incorporate more and more spatial resolution corrections in theirimplemented reconstruction algorithms, we have compared such approaches in SPECT and PET to aniterative deconvolution methodology that was developed in this work.

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Dans cette thèse, nous avons étudié les propriétés optiques de boîtes quantiques InAs/GaAs contenues dans un fil photonique. Des résultats antérieurs à cette thèse ont montré que ces fils photoniques permettent d’extraire les photons avec une efficacité très élevée.Le premier résultat original de ce travail est l’observation de la dérive temporelle de la raie d’émission de la photoluminescence d’une boîte quantique. Cet effet a été attribué à la lente modification de la charge de surface du fil due à l’absorption des molécules d’oxygène présentes dans le vide résiduel du cryostat. Nous avons montré qu’une fine couche de Si3N4 permettait de supprimer cette dérive. La dérive temporelle pouvant être différente pour différentes boites quantiques, nous avons pu tirer partie de cet effet pour mettre en résonance deux boites quantiques contenues dans le même fil.Le deuxième résultat original est la mise en évidence de la modification de l’énergie d’émission d’une boîte quantique soumise à une contrainte mécanique induite par la vibration du fil. Nous avons observé que le spectre de la raie d’émission d’une boîte quantique s’élargit considérablement lorsque le fil est mécaniquement excité à sa fréquence de résonance. A l’aide d’une illumination stroboscopique synchronisée avec l’excitation mécanique, nous avons pu reconstruire l’évolution du spectre d’une boîte quantique au cours d’une période de la vibration mécanique. L’amplitude de l’oscillation spectrale de la raie de luminescence dépend de la position de la boîte dans le fil à cause d’un très fort gradient de contrainte. En utilisant deux modes d’oscillation mécanique de polarisations linéaires et orthogonales, nous pouvons extraire une cartographie complète de la position des boîtes quantiques à l’intérieur du fil. Enfin, grâce à ce gradient, on peut, dans certains cas, trouver une position du fil pour laquelle deux boites quantiques peuvent être amenées en résonance. / In the framework of this thesis, single InAs/GaAs quantum dot devices were studied by optical means. Starting with a general description of self-assembled InAs QDs, two types of single QD devices were presented. The first approach was a tapered GaAs photonic wire embedding single InAs QDs whose efficiency as a single photon source was previously shown to be 90%. We investigated several optical properties of the single QDs. The charged and neutral states of the QD were identified and selectively excited using quasi-resonant excitation.The first original result of this thesis is the observation of a continuous temporal blue-drift of the QD emission energy. We attributed this blue drift to oxygen adsorption onto the sidewall of the wire, which modified the surface charge and hence the electric field seen by the QD. Moreover, we demonstrated that a proper coating of the GaAs photonic nanowire surface suppressed the drift. The temperature effect on this phenomenon revealed an adsorption peak around 20K, which corresponds to the adsorption of oxygen on GaAs. This observation is in good agreement with previous temperature studies with a tapered photonic wire. This was the first study of the spectral stability of photonic wires embedding QDs, crucial for resonant quantum optics experiments. As an alternative, we took advantage of this temporal drift to tune QD emission energies. In a controlled way, we tuned into resonance two different QDs which were embedded in the same photonic nanowire. In the last part of this work, we studied the influence of the stress on single QDs contained in a trumpet-like GaAs photonic wire. The main effect of stress is to shift the luminescence lines of a QD. We applied the stress by exciting mechanical vibration modes of the wire. When the wire is driven at its the mechanical resonance the time-integrated photoluminescence spectrum is broaden up to 1 meV owing to the oscillating stress, The measured spectral modulation is a first signature of strain-mediated coupling between a mechanical resonator and embedded QD single light emitter. With a stroboscopic technique, we isolated a certain phase of the oscillating wire and thereby selected a value of QD emission energies. As a highlight of our study, we managed to bring two different QDs contained in the same wire into resonance by controlling their relative phase. In addition, we could extract the 2D spatial positioning of embedded QDs from the spectral shifts observed for two orthogonal mechanical polarizations.. The investigation of the strain-mediated tuning of QDs can, therefore, be an effective tool to explore the QD positions without destroying the sample.

Submitted by Claudinei Pracidelli (cpracide@ipen.br) on 2016-06-22T14:26:41Z No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-22T14:26:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Dissertação (Mestrado em Tecnologia Nuclear) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP