Emerging technologies in parallel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with massive receiver arrays have paved the way for ultra-fast imaging at increasingly high frame rates. With the increase in the number of receiver channels used to implement parallel imaging techniques, there is a corresponding increase in the amount of data that needs to be processed, slowing down the process of image reconstruction. To develop a complete reconstruction system which is easy to assemble in a single computer for a real-time rendition of images is a relevant challenge demanding dedicated resources for high speed digital data transfer and computation. We have enhanced a 64 channel parallel receiver system designed for single echo acquisition (SEA) MRI into a real-time imaging system by interfacing it with two commercially available digital signal processor (DSP) boards which are capable of transferring large amounts of digital data via a dedicated bus from two high performance digitizer boards. The resulting system has been used to demodulate raw image data in real-time data and store them at rates of 200 frames per second (fps) and subsequently display the processed data at rates of 26 fps. A further interest in realtime reconstruction techniques is to reduce the data handling issues. Novel ways to minimize the digitized data are presented using reduced sampling rate techniques. The proposed techniques reduce the amount of data generated by a factor of 5 without compromising the SNR and with no additional hardware. Finally, the usability of this tool is demonstrated by investigating fast imaging applications. Of particular interest among them are MR elastography applications. An exploratory study of SEA MRE was done to study the temperature dependency of shear stiffness in an agarose gel and the results correlate well with existing literature. With the ability to make MRE images in a single echo, the SEA MRE technique has an advantage over the conventional MRE techniques.

Graphene, a monolayer of carbon atoms, has gained prominence to augment existing chip-scale photonic and optoelectronic applications, especially for sensing in optical radiation, owing to its distinctive electrical properties and bandgap as well as its atomically thin profile. As a building block of photodetection, graphene has been co-integrated with mature silicon technology to realize the on-chip, high-performance photo-detecting platforms with broad spectral response from the deep-ultraviolet (UV) to the mid-infrared (MIR) regime. The recent state-of-the-art graphene-based photodetectors utilizing the combination of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) and graphene have been intensively studied, where QDs function as the absorber and the role of graphene is as a fast carrier recirculating channel. With such a configuration, an ultrahigh sensitivity can be achieved on account of the photogating mechanism; however, the response time is slow and limited to the millisecond-to-second range. To achieve balance between high sensitivity and fast response time, we have demonstrated a new photodetector that is based on graphene/two-dimensional heterostructures. The homogeneous thickness and the large contact of the heterostructure give rise to fast carrier transporting between the thin absorber layer and the graphene, leading to a fast response time. This thesis carefully investigates the optimization of fabrication as well as optoelectronic characterization of photodetectors based on graphene/semiconductor heterostructures field-effect transistors (GFETs). GFETs with different architectures were demonstrated and systematically studied under optical illumination ranging from deep-UV to MIR at varying optical powers. Noise behaviors have been studied under different device parameters such as device structure, area and gate-bias. Results show that the flicker noise of graphene-based devices can be explained by the McWhorter model in which the fluctuation of carrier numbers is the dominant process of noise in low frequencies; thus, it can be scaled down by reducing the number of introduced charged carriers with optimized fabrication. Besides, the impact of absorber on top of graphene and the bottom substrate has been comprehensively explored through various experimental techniques including current-voltage (IV), photo-response dynamics, and noise characterization measurements. With our configuration, the high sensitivity and fast response time of photodetectors can be obtained at the same time. In addition to this, the study of the bottom substrate with different doping levels suggests a concept of dual-photogating effect which is induced by the top absorbent material and the photoionization of the doped silicon substrate. In summary, this thesis showcases novel device architecture and fabrication procedures of GFETs photodetectors, optimizes device structure, quantifies the performance and evaluates the effect of various absorbent materials and substrate. It provides insight into the improvement of possible routes to achieve a broadband photo-detecting system with higher sensitivity, faster response time and lower noise level. / Doctor of Philosophy / The rapid expansion of networked devices and the development of the Internet of Things have given rise to an internet traffic and data explosion. Since conventional electrical interconnects are unable to rise to the occasion of the ever-growing demands of information technology and communication networking, next-generation alternative interconnects with higher performance and lower loss are attractive alternatives as the chip-scale optical interconnection. Among various optical interconnects, photodetectors play significant roles by converting optical input into electrical signal output. Sensing of light has a great impact in daily applications such as telecommunications, night vision, biomedical imaging and biochemical sensing. Graphene, belonging to the class of 2-dimensional materials, shows enormous potential as a building block of photodetection owing to its outstanding optical and electrical properties. One possible route to develop a sensitive and fast-operating on-chip photodetector is to integrate graphene into silicon photonics platforms since the latter has been widely studied and driven to maturity. In this thesis, graphene-based photodetectors with novel architectures have been fabricated, demonstrated and systematically investigated. Various measurements have been taken to quantify the performance of photodetectors in a wide detecting range from deep ultraviolet to mid-infrared.

Solid-state lasers are capable of providing versatile output characteristics with greater flexibility compared to other popular laser systems. Lasing action has been achieved in many hundreds of solid-state media, but Nd-ion doped gain media are widely used to reach high power levels with short pulses. In this work, commercially available Nd:KGW crystal served as a gain medium to achieve pulsed operation at 1067 nm. This laser crystal offers large stimulated emission crosssection and gain bandwidth which facilitates generation of high peak power pulses in the picosecond regime. The KGW crystal is monoclinic and biaxial in structure, and anisotropic in its optical and thermal properties. Due to poor thermal conductivity, this crystal can be operated within a limited power range before crystal fracture takes place. To reduce the amount of heat deposited in the gain media, we introduced a new pumping wavelength of 910 nm which reduces the quantum defect by more than 45%. Continuous-wave laser operation was optimized to operate in mode-locked regime. In order to achieve short light pulses from the continuous-wave laser, one of the end mirrors was replaced by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) to generate 2.4 ps pulses at a repetition rate of 83.8 MHz. An average output power of 87 mW was obtained at lasing wavelength of 1067 nm and the beam was nearly diffraction limited with M^2 < 1.18. The peak power of the generated pulses was 427 W and energy of each pulse was >1 nJ. Pumping the crystal at longer wavelength (910 nm) reduced the thermal lensing of the crystal by half when compared to conventional pumping at shorter wavelength (808 nm). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time passive mode-locking of a Nd:KGW laser was explored using the pump wavelength at 910 nm. / February 2017

Master of Science / Department of Physics / Carlos Trallero / Over the past four decades, the single-electron ionization of atoms has been a subject of great interest within the ultra-fast community. While contemporary atomic ionization models tend to agree well with experiment across a wide range of intensities (10[superscript]13-10[superscript]15 W/cm[superscript]2), analogous models for the ionization of molecules are currently lacking in accuracy. The deficiencies present in molecular ionization models constitute a formidable barrier for experimentalists, who wish to model the single-electron ionization dynamics of molecules in intense laser fields. The primary motivation for the work presented in this thesis is to provide a comprehensive data set which can be used to improve existing models for the strong-field ionization of molecules. Our approach is to simultaneously measure the singly-charged ion yield of a diatomic molecule paired with a noble gas atom, both having commensurate ionization potentials. These measurements are taken as a function of the laser intensity, typically spanning two orders of magnitude (10[superscript]13-10[superscript]15 W/cm[superscript]2). By taking the ratio of the molecular to atomic yields as a function of laser intensity, it is possible to "cancel out" systematic errors which are common to both species, e.g. from laser instability, or temperature fluctuations. This technique is very powerful in our ionization studies, as it alludes to the distinct mechanisms leading to the ionization of both molecular and atomic species at the same intensity which are not a function of the experimental conditions. By using the accurate treatments of atomic ionization in tandem with existing molecular ionization models as a benchmark, we can use our experimental ratios to modify existing molecular ionization theories. We hope that the data procured in this thesis will be used in the development of more accurate treatments describing the strong-field ionization of molecules.

Spurious, falsely-labeled, falsified or counterfeit (SFFC) pharmaceuticals are a health concern that claims hundreds of thousands of lives annually1, a violation of intellectual property rights which cost legitimate companies billions2, and a low-risk high yield revenue stream for organized crime2. While ports of entry and border control points are the primary access control points for SFFC3,4, advances in field portable detection and equipment offers an increasingly effective method for the assessment of pharmaceuticals at regional centers and points of distribution. This is particularly important for less developed countries (LDC) who do not maintain satellite or regional testing facilities. As part of a proposed protocol to assess field portable detection equipment, an ultrafast liquid chromatography, tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS) method for the quantification of liquid formulation Oxytocin was developed. The six minute method was found to have a within run %bias of +/-16%, a linear dynamic range of 150-1000 nanograms/milliliter (ng/ml), and an accuracy within acceptability criteria for all tested concentrations. The effectiveness of three identified transition ions, 723.1, 86.2 and 70.1 Daltons, for the analysis of oxytocin by mass spectrometry was assessed across several figures of merit to include signal to noise ratio, %CV, calibration sensitivity, and analytical sensitivity. The 723.1 ion fragment was recommended for quantification, while the 70.1 dalton ion was recommended as a qualifier ion, although 86.2 also performed within acceptability criteria. A method for the UFLC-MS/MS assessment of degradation products for oxytocin was proposed for specificity testing. Degradation of oxytocin by exposure to highly acidic, basic, and thermal conditions for one hour was attempted. Formation of degraded products was not observed. Additionally, existing High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) methods for the simultaneous assessment of Artesunate and Amodiaquine HCl were modified to assess compatibility with UFLC. No method assessed produced sufficient quality signal to continue with method development.

This thesis deals with comparison of rapid and conventional methods used in MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). There is a description of imaging methods such as EPI (Echo Planar Imaging), Ultra-fast GRE, FSE (Fast spin echo) as well as a snapshot-FLASH and FISP (Fast Imaging with Steady Precession). Experimental part of this thesis deals with the rapid FSE (Fast Spin Echo) method. Especially is explained and assembled an algorithm for proper compilation of data from the FSE method. This algorithm allows us to evaluate the images from the FSE method. This method is examined in detail (in terms of impact parameters) and compared with traditional conventional methods. Finally, the individual images are evaluated, and the best parameters for FSE method are identified.

Femtosecond laser filamentation is a highly nonlinear propagation mode. When a laser pulse propagates with a peak power exceeding a critical value Pcr (5 GW at 800 nm in air), the Kerr effect tends to collapse the beam until the intensity is high enough to ionize the medium, giving rise to plasma defocusing. A dynamic competition between these two effects takes place leaving a thin and weakly ionized plasma channel in the trail of the pulse. When an ultrafast laser pulse interacts with molecules, it will align them, spinning them about their axis of polarization. As the quantum rotational wave packet relaxes, the molecules will experience periodic field-free alignment. Recent work has demonstrated the effect of molecular alignment on laser filamentation of ultra-short pulses. Revival of the molecular alignment can modify filamentation parameters as it can locally modify the refractive index and the ionization rate. In this thesis, we demonstrate with simulations and experiments that these changes in the filament parameters (collapse distance and filament plasma length) can be used to probe molecular alignment in CO2.

The totem pole PFC suffers from the Mosfet body diode reverse recovery issue which limits this topology adopted in the CCM high power condition. As the ultra-fast IGBT which is capable of providing 100 kHz switching frequency is available in the market, it is possible to apply the totem pole PFC in CCM high power condition. The thesis provides a method by implementing the ultra-fast IGBT and SiC diode to replace the MOSFET in this topology. To verify the method, a universal CCM totem pole PFC is designed and tested. The design adopts the ADP1048 programmable digital PFC controller by adding external logic gate for totem-pole PFC. ADP1048 greatly simplifies the design process and satisfies the design requirements. The experiment results verify that the totem-pole PFC can be applied into CCM high power condition by using the method. The DC output voltage is well regulated. The power factor is higher than 0.98 when the load is above 400W. The measured efficiency can achieve up to 96.8% at low line and 98.2% at high line condition with switching frequency 80 kHz. / Master of Science

Ultra fast fashion är ett relativt nytt fenomen som definieras som företag som producerar kläder på kort tid och säljer dessa till lågt pris. Snabb förändrade trender i kombination med korta marknadsföringsvägar gör det möjligt för ultra fast fashion att växa.    Granskningar har visat inhumana arbetsförhållanden för arbetare på fabriker som tillverkar produkterna och med tanke på att kläderna produceras så snabbt och billigt blir det även stora negativa konsekvenser för miljön. Trots att konsumenter kan känna till detta finns det många som ändå konsumerar ultra fast fashion.    Den här studien har studerat konsumtionsbeteenden inom ultra fast fashion för att ta reda på vilka demografiska faktorer som gör att människor handlar ultra fast fashion samt om de har handlat ultra fast fashion tidigare, vad får dem att handla igen. Detta är en kvantitativ studie där data har samlats in genom en enkät. Undersökningen är utformad med demografiska frågor i början och med en betingad fråga i mitten som delar upp respondenterna.    Den insamlade datan visar att den demografiska faktorn som gör att man handlar ultra fast fashion är kön då kvinnor visade sig handla ultra fast fashion i större utsträckning än män. Det kan inte sägas säkert att ålder spelar in om man handlar fast fashion eller inte, inte heller hur konsumenternas köpbeteende av ultra fast fashion påverkas av hur miljömedveten man känner sig eller hur hög socioekonomisk status man har. Studien behandlar även konsumentens känsla efter att ha handlat ultra fast fashion samt beslut att handla i framtiden. Det visar sig att det är låg sannolikhet att konsumenten som har handlat ultra fast fashion tidigare handlar ultra fast fashion igen, men vad det beror på kan inte med säkerhet sägas. / Ultra fast fashion is a relatively new phenomenon defined by companies that produce clothes in a short time and sell them at a low price. Rapidly changing trends and short marketing paths allow ultra fast fashion to grow and shorten the production line.   Studies have shown inhumane working conditions for workers in factories that manufacture ultra fast fashion products. Long working hours and low wages are just two of many negative aspects. As the garments are not manufactured in a sustainable way and are consumed in abundance, its consumption has a large negative environmental impact. Most consumers are aware of the negative impact on the environment and the poor working conditions for workers, while many continue to consume ultra fast fashion. This study has analyzed ultra fast fashion consumption behaviors to find out which demographic factors make people buy ultra fast fashion and if they have bought ultra fast fashion before, what makes them buy it again.    This is a quantitative study where data has been collected through a survey. The survey is designed with demographic questions at the beginning and with a conditional question in the middle that divides the group of respondents.  Collected data shows that the demographic factor that makes one buy ultra fast fashion is when women were found to buy ultra fast fashion to a greater extent than men. The age of the consumers is not significantly proven to affect whether the consumer chooses to buy ultra fast fashion or not, neither are the factors environmentally aware or socioeconomic status. The study also deals with the consumer's feelings after shopping ultra fast fashion and decisions to shop in the future. It turns out that there is a low probability that the consumer who has shopped ultra fast fashion before will shop ultra fast fashion again, however there is no sure connection as to what this is due to.

Dans plusieurs expériences, nous démontrons le potentiel du processus de génération d'harmoniques d'ordre élevé pour observer des dynamiques électroniques et nucléaires intra-moléculaires ultrarapides. La plus grande partie de cette thèse traite d'expériences où les molécules constituent le milieu de génération et le paquet d'ondes électronique recollisionnant joue le rôle d'une 'auto-sonde'. Les mesures de phase et amplitude de l'émission harmonique des molécules de CO2 et N2 alignées dans le référentiel du laboratoire nous permettent d'extraire l'élément de matrice du dipole de recombinaison. Ce dernier contient la signature d'une interférence quantique entre les parties libre et liée de la fonction d'onde électronique totale. L'utilisation de cette interférence quantique pour la mise-en-forme de l'émission XUV attoseconde (1as=10−18s) sera démontrée. De plus, nous étudions théoriquement la tomographie d'orbitales moléculaires à partir des éléments de matrice du dipole de recombinaison et nous démontrons sa faisabilité expérimentale. Ceci ouvre la perspective d'imager les distorsions ultra-rapides d'une orbitale frontière lors d'une réaction chimique. Dans une deuxième partie de cette thèse, nous utilisons la lumière XUV cohérente émise par des atomes d'argon pour photoioniser des molécules de N2 et mesurons comment une résonance auto-ionisante modifie la phase spectrale du paquet d'ondes de photoélectrons émis. Le dernier chapitre de ce manuscrit décrit des études de génération d'impulsions XUV attosecondes dans un milieu différent: des plasmas d'ablation. La première caractérisation temporelle d'une telle source démontre sa structure femtoseconde et attoseconde.