In this dissertation, we investigatethe supersymmetric completion of curvature squared invariants in five and six dimensionsas well as the construction of off-shell Poincar´e supergravities and their matter couplings. We use superconformal calculus in fiveand six dimensions, which are an off- shell formalisms. In fivedimensions,there are twoinequivalentWeyl multiplets: the standard Weyl multiplet and the dilaton Weyl multiplet.The main difference betweenthese twoWeyl multiplets is thatthe dilaton Weyl multipletcontains a graviphoton in its field content whereas the standard Weyl multiplet does not.A supergravity theory based on the standard Weyl multiplet requires coupling to an external vector multiplet. In five dimensions,we construct two new formulations for 2-derivative off-shell Poincar´e supergravity theories and present the internally gauged models. We also construct supersymmetric completions of all curvature squared terms in five dimensional supergravity with eight supercharges.Adopting the dilaton Weyl multiplet, we construct a Weyl squared invariant, the supersymmetric combination of Gauss-Bonnet combination and the Ricci scalar squared invariant as well as all vector multiplets coupled curvature squared invariants. Since the minimal off-shell supersymmetric Riemann tensor squared invariant has been obtained before, both the minimal off-shell and the vector multiplets coupled curvature squared invariants in the dilation Weyl multiplet are complete. We also constructedan off-shell Ricci scalar squared invariant utilizing the standard Weyl multiplet.The supersymmetric Ricci scalar squared in the standard Weyl multiplet is coupled to n number of vector multiplets by construction, and it deforms the very special geometry. We found that in the supersymmetric AdS5 vacuum, the very special geometry defined on the moduli space is modified in a simple way. We study the vacuum solutions with AdS2 × S3 and AdS3 × S2 structures. We also analyze the spectrum around a maximally supersymmetric Minkowski5, and study the magnetic string and electric black hole. Finally, we generalize our procedure for the construction of an off-shell Ricci scalar squared invariant in five dimensions to N = (1, 0), D = 6 supergravity.

The Maple V package Vessiot is an extensive set of procedures for performing computations in variational and tensor calculus. Vessiot is an extension of a previous package, Helmholtz, which was written by Cinnamon Hillyard for performing operations in the calculus of variations. The original set of commands included standard operators on differential forms, Euler-Lagrange operators, the Lie bracket operator, Lie derivatives, and homotopy operators. These capabilities are preserved in Vessiot, and enhanced so as to function in a multiple coordinate frame context. In addition, a substantial number of general tensor operations have been added to the package. These include standard algebraic operations such as the tensor product, contraction, raising and lowering of indices, as well covariant and Lie differentiation. Objects such as connections, the Riemannian curvature tensor, and Ricci tensor and scalar may also be easily computed. A synopsis of the command syntax appears in Appendix A on pages 194 through 225, and a complete listing of the Maple procedural code is given in Appendix B, beginning on page 222.

Les corrections d’ordre supérieur en dérivées applicables à la théorie de supergravité à onze dimensions constituent un puissant outil pour étudier la structure miscroscopique de la théorie M. Plus partculièrement, l’invariant supersymétrique à l’ordre huit en en dérivées est nécessaire à la cohérence quantique de la théorie, mais il n’en existe à ce jour aucune expression complète. Dans cette thèse, après une introduction formelle aux théories de supergravité, nous présentons une technique appelée principe d’action (en superespace), dont le but est de générer le superinvariant complet associé au terme de Chern-Simons d’ordre huit. Bien que ce résultat ne soit pas encore atteint, nous en déterminons certaines caratérisiques, et ouvrons la voie à une résolution systématiques des étapes de calcul à venir. Dans le chapitre suivant, nous présentons les principales fonctionnalités du programme informatique crée pour gérer les imposants calculs liés au principe d’action. Ce programme est particulièrement adapté au traitement des matrices gamma, des tenseurs et des spineurs tels qu’ils surviennent en superespace. Enfin, à l’aide de ce programme, nous abordons un autre sujet calculatoire : la condensation fermionique en supergravité IIA massive. En utilisant la formulation en superespace des supergravités IIA, nous dérivons les termes de l’action quartiques en fermions, puis en imposant une valeur moyenne dans le vide non-nulle, nous montrons qu’il est possible de construire une solution de géométrie de Sitter dans deux cas simples / High order derivative terms in eleven dimensional supergravity are a powerful tool to probe the microscopic structure of M-theory. In particular, the superinvariant at order eight in number of derivatives is required for quantum consistency, but has not been completely constructed to this day. In this thesis, after a formal introduction to supergravity, we focus on a technique called the actions principle, in superspace, with the aim of generating the full superinvariant associated to the Chern-Simons term at order eight. Although we do not construct the superinvariant, we determine some of its characteristics, and pave the way for a systematic treatment of the computations leading to the correction. Then we present the main features of the computer program we built for dealing with the computations encountered in the action principle. It is specifically designed to deal with gamma matrices, tensors and spinors as they appear in superspace. Finally, with the help of this program, we tackle another computationally intensive subject : the fermionic condensation in IIA massive superspace. We use the superspace formulations of IIA supergravitites to find the quartic fermion term of the action, and by imposing a non-vanishing vacuum expectation value for this term, we realize a de Sitter solution in two simple cases

La théorie des graphes a longtemps été étudiée en mathématiques et en probabilité en tant qu’outil pour décrire la dépendance entre les nœuds. Cependant, ce n’est que récemment qu’elle a été mise en œuvre sur des données, donnant naissance à l’analyse statistique des réseaux réels.La topologie des réseaux économiques et financiers est remarquablement complexe: elle n’est généralement pas observée, et elle nécessite ainsi des procédures inférentielles adéquates pour son estimation, d’ailleurs non seulement les nœuds, mais la structure de la dépendance elle-même évolue dans le temps. Des outils statistiques et économétriques pour modéliser la dynamique de changement de la structure du réseau font défaut, malgré leurs besoins croissants dans plusieurs domaines de recherche. En même temps, avec le début de l’ère des “Big data”, la taille des ensembles de données disponibles devient de plus en plus élevée et leur structure interne devient de plus en plus complexe, entravant les processus inférentiels traditionnels dans plusieurs cas. Cette thèse a pour but de contribuer à ce nouveau champ littéraire qui associe probabilités, économie, physique et sociologie en proposant de nouvelles méthodologies statistiques et économétriques pour l’étude de l’évolution temporelle des structures en réseau de moyenne et haute dimension. / Graph theory has long been studied in mathematics and probability as a tool for describing dependence between nodes. However, only recently it has been implemented on data, giving birth to the statistical analysis of real networks.The topology of economic and financial networks is remarkably complex: it is generally unobserved, thus requiring adequate inferential procedures for it estimation, moreover not only the nodes, but the structure of dependence itself evolves over time. Statistical and econometric tools for modelling the dynamics of change of the network structure are lacking, despite their increasing requirement in several fields of research. At the same time, with the beginning of the era of “Big data” the size of available datasets is becoming increasingly high and their internal structure is growing in complexity, hampering traditional inferential processes in multiple cases.This thesis aims at contributing to this newborn field of literature which joins probability, economics, physics and sociology by proposing novel statistical and econometric methodologies for the study of the temporal evolution of network structures of medium-high dimension.

Starting with tensor calculus and the variational form of the Hamiltonian functional, a generalized theory is formulated for doubly curved thin shells. The formulation avoids geometric approximations commonly adopted in other formulations. The theory is then specialized for cylindrical and toroidal shells as special cases, both of interest in the modeling of straight and elbow segments of pipeline systems. Since the treatment avoids geometric approximations, the cylindrical shell theory is believed to be more accurate than others reported in the literature. By adopting a set of consistent geometric approximations, the present theory is shown to revert to the well known Flugge shell theory. Another set of consistent geometric approximations is shown to lead to the Donnell-Mushtari-Vlasov (DMV) theory. A general closed form solution of the theory is developed for cylinders under general harmonic loads. The solution is then used to formulate a family of exact shape functions which are subsequently used to formulate a super-convergent finite element. The formulation efficiently and accurately captures ovalization, warping, radial expansion, and other shell behavioural modes under general static or harmonic forces either in-phase or out-of-phase. Comparisons with shell solutions available in Abaqus demonstrate the validity of the formulation and the accuracy of its predictions. The generalized thin shell theory is then specialized for toroidal shells. Consistent sets of approximations lead to three simplified theories for toroidal shells. The first set of approximations has lead to a theory comparable to that of Sanders while the second set of approximation has lead to a theory nearly identical to the DMV theory for toroidal shells. A closed form solution is then obtained for the governing equation. Exact shape functions are then developed and subsequently used to formulate a finite element. Comparisons with Abaqus solutions show the validity of the formulation for short elbow segments under a variety of loading conditions. Because of their efficiency, the finite elements developed are particularly suited for the analysis of long pipeline systems.

Starting with tensor calculus and the variational form of the Hamiltonian functional, a generalized theory is formulated for doubly curved thin shells. The formulation avoids geometric approximations commonly adopted in other formulations. The theory is then specialized for cylindrical and toroidal shells as special cases, both of interest in the modeling of straight and elbow segments of pipeline systems. Since the treatment avoids geometric approximations, the cylindrical shell theory is believed to be more accurate than others reported in the literature. By adopting a set of consistent geometric approximations, the present theory is shown to revert to the well known Flugge shell theory. Another set of consistent geometric approximations is shown to lead to the Donnell-Mushtari-Vlasov (DMV) theory. A general closed form solution of the theory is developed for cylinders under general harmonic loads. The solution is then used to formulate a family of exact shape functions which are subsequently used to formulate a super-convergent finite element. The formulation efficiently and accurately captures ovalization, warping, radial expansion, and other shell behavioural modes under general static or harmonic forces either in-phase or out-of-phase. Comparisons with shell solutions available in Abaqus demonstrate the validity of the formulation and the accuracy of its predictions. The generalized thin shell theory is then specialized for toroidal shells. Consistent sets of approximations lead to three simplified theories for toroidal shells. The first set of approximations has lead to a theory comparable to that of Sanders while the second set of approximation has lead to a theory nearly identical to the DMV theory for toroidal shells. A closed form solution is then obtained for the governing equation. Exact shape functions are then developed and subsequently used to formulate a finite element. Comparisons with Abaqus solutions show the validity of the formulation for short elbow segments under a variety of loading conditions. Because of their efficiency, the finite elements developed are particularly suited for the analysis of long pipeline systems.

Starting with tensor calculus and the variational form of the Hamiltonian functional, a generalized theory is formulated for doubly curved thin shells. The formulation avoids geometric approximations commonly adopted in other formulations. The theory is then specialized for cylindrical and toroidal shells as special cases, both of interest in the modeling of straight and elbow segments of pipeline systems. Since the treatment avoids geometric approximations, the cylindrical shell theory is believed to be more accurate than others reported in the literature. By adopting a set of consistent geometric approximations, the present theory is shown to revert to the well known Flugge shell theory. Another set of consistent geometric approximations is shown to lead to the Donnell-Mushtari-Vlasov (DMV) theory. A general closed form solution of the theory is developed for cylinders under general harmonic loads. The solution is then used to formulate a family of exact shape functions which are subsequently used to formulate a super-convergent finite element. The formulation efficiently and accurately captures ovalization, warping, radial expansion, and other shell behavioural modes under general static or harmonic forces either in-phase or out-of-phase. Comparisons with shell solutions available in Abaqus demonstrate the validity of the formulation and the accuracy of its predictions. The generalized thin shell theory is then specialized for toroidal shells. Consistent sets of approximations lead to three simplified theories for toroidal shells. The first set of approximations has lead to a theory comparable to that of Sanders while the second set of approximation has lead to a theory nearly identical to the DMV theory for toroidal shells. A closed form solution is then obtained for the governing equation. Exact shape functions are then developed and subsequently used to formulate a finite element. Comparisons with Abaqus solutions show the validity of the formulation for short elbow segments under a variety of loading conditions. Because of their efficiency, the finite elements developed are particularly suited for the analysis of long pipeline systems.

This Master's thesis clarifies the significance of Frölicher-Nijenhuis bracket and its applications in problems of physics. The basic apparatus for these applications is differential geometry on manifolds, tensor calculus and differential forms, which are contained in the first part of the thesis. The second part summarizes the basic theory of calculus of variations on manifolds and its selected applications in the field of physics. The last part of the thesis is devoted to the applications of Frölicher-Nijenhuis bracket in the derivation of Maxwell's equations and to the description of the geometry of ordinary differential equations.

Starting with tensor calculus and the variational form of the Hamiltonian functional, a generalized theory is formulated for doubly curved thin shells. The formulation avoids geometric approximations commonly adopted in other formulations. The theory is then specialized for cylindrical and toroidal shells as special cases, both of interest in the modeling of straight and elbow segments of pipeline systems. Since the treatment avoids geometric approximations, the cylindrical shell theory is believed to be more accurate than others reported in the literature. By adopting a set of consistent geometric approximations, the present theory is shown to revert to the well known Flugge shell theory. Another set of consistent geometric approximations is shown to lead to the Donnell-Mushtari-Vlasov (DMV) theory. A general closed form solution of the theory is developed for cylinders under general harmonic loads. The solution is then used to formulate a family of exact shape functions which are subsequently used to formulate a super-convergent finite element. The formulation efficiently and accurately captures ovalization, warping, radial expansion, and other shell behavioural modes under general static or harmonic forces either in-phase or out-of-phase. Comparisons with shell solutions available in Abaqus demonstrate the validity of the formulation and the accuracy of its predictions. The generalized thin shell theory is then specialized for toroidal shells. Consistent sets of approximations lead to three simplified theories for toroidal shells. The first set of approximations has lead to a theory comparable to that of Sanders while the second set of approximation has lead to a theory nearly identical to the DMV theory for toroidal shells. A closed form solution is then obtained for the governing equation. Exact shape functions are then developed and subsequently used to formulate a finite element. Comparisons with Abaqus solutions show the validity of the formulation for short elbow segments under a variety of loading conditions. Because of their efficiency, the finite elements developed are particularly suited for the analysis of long pipeline systems.

La première partie présente des calculs explicites de terminaison effective de l'algorithme de Kohn proposée par Siu. Dans la deuxième partie, nous étudions la géométrie des hypersurfaces réelles dans Cⁿ, et nous calculons des invariants explicites avec la méthode d'équivalences de Cartan pour déterminer les lieux CR-ombilics. / The first part of the thesis consists of calculations around Siu's effective termination of Kohn's algorithm. The second part of the thesis studies the CR real hypersurfaces in complex spaces and calculates various explicit invariants using Cartan's equivalence method to study CR-umbilical points.