<p> The conditions ideally suited for blue straggler star formation are for the most part unknown, though there is mounting evidence to suggest that the preferred blue straggler formation pathway, whether it be via the coalescence of a primordial binary system or through the collision of two single main-sequence stars, depends largely on the cluster environment. In this thesis we are trying to isolate the preferred blue straggler formation mechanism(s) operating in various globular cluster environments by comparing relative blue straggler frequencies to global cluster properties.</p> <p> We define a series of selection rules to isolate the blue stragglers from main-sequence turn-off and extended horizontal branch stars in the colour-magnitude diagrams of 57 globular clusters taken from HST images of their central cores. The boundary conditions were defined using only the main-sequence turn-off as a point of reference, and are hence applied consistently from cluster to cluster. We chose to count only those stars found within one core radius of the cluster center in an effort to obtain a sample that is approximately representative of a uniform cluster environment where, ideally, a single blue straggler formation mechanism is predominantly operating. Relative frequencies of blue straggler stars are then found using the red giant branch for normalization and are subsequently analyzed. We confirm the anticorrelation between relative blue straggler frequency and total integrated cluster luminosity previously observed by Piotto et al. (2004), and find a new anticorrelation between relative blue straggler frequency and the central velocity dispersion, as well as a weak anticorrelation with the half-mass relaxation time. We find no other statistically significant trends. Observational implications pertaining to blue straggler formation mechanisms are then discussed.</p> <p> We present a very simple, semi-analytic model designed in an attempt to reproduce the observed trends in the core. Using estimates for the collisional timescales, we find that only a small percentage of the blue stragglers produced are a direct result of collisions. The majority of the blue stragglers created in our model are thus products of mass-transfer in tight, low-mass binary systems. We were surprised to find a reasonably good agreement between the data and our predictions, given the simplicity of our model. Our results suggest that the binary fraction could be a crucial parameter in shaping blue straggler populations, and hence better and more abundant observations of binary systems and their numbers could prove an important step in gaining a better understanding of blue straggler formation mechanisms.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Amplitude-versus-offset, AVO, approximations allow the estimation of various properties from pre-stack seismic gathers. Recently it has been suggested that fluid mobility is a controlling factor in pore pressure equalisation and can result in anomalous velocity dispersion in the seismic bandwidth. However, current approximations all assume an elastic subsurface and are unable to account for velocity dispersion. I have applied existing methodologies to a real dataset to qualitatively detect and interpret spectral amplitude anomalies. Three areas had AVO and spectral signature consistent with frequency-dependent AVO theory. The results suggest that it is feasible to measure such effects on real data in the presence of random noise. It would imply that the relaxation parameter, tau, is larger in the field than has been measured in water-saturated real and synthetic sandstones in the laboratory. I extended a two-term AVO approximation by accounting for velocity dispersion and showed how the resultant reflection coefficient becomes frequency-dependent. I then used this to measure P- and S-wave reflectivity dispersion using spectrally-balanced amplitudes. The inversion was able to quantify the affect of the P-wave velocity dispersion as an instantaneous effect on the reflection. NMO stretch was an issue at the far offsets and I limited myself to the near offsets and effectively measured only the P-wave reflectivity dispersion. I showed how the P-wave reflectivity dispersion signs depend on the AVO classification of the reflection whilst the magnitude depends on the crack density of my model. I showed how the effect of noise and thin-bed tuning can enter uncertainties into the interpretation of spectral anomalies. Whilst it is possible to detect frequency-dependent AVO signatures on pre-stack gathers, the interpretation remains non-unique. I have quantitatively measured a new physical property, reflectivity dispersion, from pre-stack seismic data. I have presented a method of detecting and measuring velocity dispersion in pre-stack gathers but there remain ambiguities in the interpretation of such results. The approach incorporates spectrally decomposed data in an extended AVO inversion scheme. Future work should investigate the application of the methodology to a real seismic dataset.

L'étude de la composition chimique et de la cinématique des étoiles de la Voie Lactée est essentielle afin de comprendre comment les grandes structures de notre Galaxie se sont formées. Les étoiles de faible masse gardent en mémoire dans leur atmosphère la composition chimique du milieu interstellaire dans lequel elles sont nées, et leur cinématique est essentielle afin de caractériser les différentes populations stellaires. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions le disque galactique, composante majeure de notre Galaxie. Dans le cadre de la mission spatiale Gaia, nous avons développé une procédure automatique de mesure d'abondances chimiques, GAUGUIN, utilisée dans le cadre du Gaia-ESO Survey GES (abondances chimiques d'éléments alpha et du pic du fer pour 10000 étoiles) et du projet AMBRE (abondances de lithium pour 7300 étoiles). GAUGUIN va être intégré au pipeline d'analyse des spectres RVS de Gaia. Nous avons étudié l'évolution des dispersions des vitesses dans le disque galactique en fonction du [Mg/Fe], utilisé comme proxy de l'âge. A partir de 6800 étoiles de GES, nous avons détecté la présence d'étoiles du disque épais cinématiquement froides mais avec des valeurs élevées du rapport [Mg/Fe], donc possiblement âgées. Dans le contexte d'un milieu turbulent, nous discutons la présence de ces étoiles dans le cadre des différents modèles de formation du disque galactique. Nous avons également montré que l'abondance du lithium dans le disque montre une croissance avec la métallicité sur le domaine -1<[M/H]<+0 dex et décroît pour les métallicités super-solaires. Enfin, le disque mince et le disque épais seraient caractérisés par des évolutions chimiques différentes en abondance de lithium. / Studying both the chemical composition and kinematics of Milky Way stars is essential to understand how big structures of our Galaxy are formed. Indeed, low-mass stars retain in their photosphere the chemical composition of the interstellar medium is which they were born. Additionally, the kinematics are essential to characterize stellar populations. In this thesis, we focus on the galactic disc, a major component of the Milky Way. In the context of the Gaia mission, we have developed an automatic procedure GAUGUIN, devoted to deriving chemical abundances. We first applied our method to the Gaia-ESO Survey (GES) data to derive alpha and iron-peak chemical abundances for 10000 stars. We then derived lithium abundances for 7300 stars from the AMBRE project. GAUGUIN is well adapted to massive spectroscopic surveys, both in terms of computation time and accuracy. GAUGUIN will be soon integrated into the RVS DPAC analysis pipeline of the Gaia mission. We studied the velocity dispersions in the galactic disc as a function of the [Mg/Fe] ratio, used as an age proxy. Thanks to 6800 GES stars, we detected thick disc stars with cool kinematics and high [Mg/Fe] ratio, so presumably old. In the generally turbulent context of the primitive galactic disc, this thesis places these results in the framework of the different disc formation and evolution scenarios. We also showed that the lithium abundance in the galactic disc increases as a function of the metallicity in the domain -1<[M/H]+0 dex and decreases at super-solar metallicities. Finally, the thin and the thick discs could be characterized by different lithium abundance evolutions.

Kvantové kaskádové laserové frekvenční hřebeny jsou slibnými kandidáty pro nové miniaturizované spektrometry bez pohyblivých částí. Mohou být generovány v samočinném režimu pomocí různých nelinearit vyvolaných asymetrickým ziskem a vlnovodovou disperzí. K simulaci samočinných hřebenů byl použit dostupný vysoce optimalizovaný nástroj založený na modelu postupné vlny. Dále byl rozšířen o funkci zamykání optickým vstřikováním, koherentní techniky ovládání frekvenčních hřebenů. Následné simulace potvrdily uzamčení pomocí vstřikovaného signálu. Bylo zjištěno, že disperze grupové rychlosti (GVD) má významný dopad na rozsah zamykání. GVD byla vypočtena pro typické zařízení a frekvenční hřeben byl uzamčen pomocí optického vstřikování v rozsahu ladění od -2 do 47 MHz.

Endlessly single-mode fibers, which enable single mode guidance over a wide spectral range, are indispensable in the field of fiber technology. A two-dimensional photonic crystal with a silica central core and a micrometer-spaced hexagonal array of air holes is an established method to achieve endless single-mode guidance. There are two possible ways to determine the dispersion: measurement and calculation. We calculate the group velocity dispersion GVD based on the measurement of the fiber structure parameters, the hole diameter and the pitch of a presumed homogeneous hexagonal array and compare the calculation with two methods to measure the wavelength-dependent time delay. We measure the time delay on a three hundred meter test fiber with a homemade supercontinuum light source, a set of bandpass filters and a fast detector and compare the results with a white light interferometric setup. To measure the dispersion of optical fibers with high accuracy, a time-frequency-domain setup based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used. The experimental setup allows the determination of the wavelength dependent differential group delay of light travelling through a thirty centimeter piece of test fiber in the wavelength range from VIS to NIR. The determination of the GVD using different methods enables the evaluation of the individual methods for characterizing the endlessly single-mode fiber.

The optical properties of the guided modes in the core of photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) can be easily manipulated by changing the air-hole structure in the cladding. Special properties can be achieved in this case such as endless singlemode operation. Endlessly single-mode fibers, which enable single-mode guidance over a wide spectral range, are indispensable in the field of fiber technology. A two-dimensional photonic crystal with a silica central core and a micrometer-spaced hexagonal array of air holes is an established method to achieve endless single-mode properties. In addition to the guidance of light in the core, different cladding modes occur. The coupling between the core and the cladding modes can affect the endlessly single-mode guides. There are two possible ways to determine the dispersion: measurement and calculation. We calculate the group velocity dispersion (GVD) of different cladding modes based on the measurement of the fiber structure parameters, the hole diameter and the pitch of a presumed homogeneous hexagonal array. Based on the scanning electron image, a calculation was made of the optical guiding properties of the microstructured cladding. We compare the calculation with a method to measure the wavelength-dependent time delay. We measure the time delay of defined cladding modes with a homemade supercontinuum light source in a white light interferometric setup. To measure the dispersion of cladding modes of optical fibers with high accuracy, a time-domain white-light interferometer based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used. The experimental setup allows the determination of the wavelengthdependent differential group delay of light travelling through a thirty centimeter piece of test fiber in the wavelength range from VIS to NIR. The determination of the GVD using different methods enables the evaluation of the individual methods for characterizing the cladding modes of an endlessly single-mode fiber.

In this dissertation we aim to perform a multi-wavelength analysis of galaxy clusters. We discuss various methods for clustering in order to determine physical parameters of galaxy clusters required for this type of study. A selection of galaxy clusters was chosen from 4 papers, (Popesso et al. 2007b, Yoon et al. 2008, Loubser et al. 2008, Brownstein & Mo at 2006) and restricted by redshift and galactic latitude to reveal a sample of 40 galaxy clusters with 0.0 < z < 0.15. Data mining using Virtual Observatory (VO) and a literature survey provided some background information about each of the galaxy clusters in our sample with respect to optical, radio and X-ray data. Using the Kayes Mixture Model (KMM) and the Gaussian Mixing Model (GMM), we determine the most likely cluster member candidates for each source in our sample. We compare the results obtained to SIMBADs method of hierarchy. We show that the GMM provides a very robust method to determine member candidates but in order to ensure that the right candidates are chosen we apply a select choice of outlier tests to our sources. We determine a method based on a combination of GMM, the QQ Plot and the Rosner test that provides a robust and consistent method for determining galaxy cluster members. Comparison between calculated physical parameters; velocity dispersion, radius, mass and temperature, and values obtained from literature show that for the majority of our galaxy clusters agree within 3 range. Inconsistencies are thought to be due to dynamically active clusters that have substructure or are undergoing mergers, making galaxy member identi cation di cult. Six correlations between di erent physical parameters in the optical and X-ray wavelength were consistent with published results. Comparing the velocity dispersion with the X-ray temperature, we found a relation of T0:43 as compared to T0:5 obtained from Bird et al. (1995). X-ray luminosity temperature and X-ray luminosity velocity dispersion relations gave the results LX T2:44 and LX 2:40 which lie within the uncertainty of results given by Rozgacheva & Kuvshinova (2010). These results all suggest that our method for determining galaxy cluster members is e cient and application to higher redshift sources can be considered. Further studies on galaxy clusters with substructure must be performed in order to improve this method. In future work, the physical parameters obtained here will be further compared to X-ray and radio properties in order to determine a link between bent radio sources and the galaxy cluster environment. / MSc (Space Physics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

In this dissertation we aim to perform a multi-wavelength analysis of galaxy clusters. We discuss various methods for clustering in order to determine physical parameters of galaxy clusters required for this type of study. A selection of galaxy clusters was chosen from 4 papers, (Popesso et al. 2007b, Yoon et al. 2008, Loubser et al. 2008, Brownstein & Mo at 2006) and restricted by redshift and galactic latitude to reveal a sample of 40 galaxy clusters with 0.0 < z < 0.15. Data mining using Virtual Observatory (VO) and a literature survey provided some background information about each of the galaxy clusters in our sample with respect to optical, radio and X-ray data. Using the Kayes Mixture Model (KMM) and the Gaussian Mixing Model (GMM), we determine the most likely cluster member candidates for each source in our sample. We compare the results obtained to SIMBADs method of hierarchy. We show that the GMM provides a very robust method to determine member candidates but in order to ensure that the right candidates are chosen we apply a select choice of outlier tests to our sources. We determine a method based on a combination of GMM, the QQ Plot and the Rosner test that provides a robust and consistent method for determining galaxy cluster members. Comparison between calculated physical parameters; velocity dispersion, radius, mass and temperature, and values obtained from literature show that for the majority of our galaxy clusters agree within 3 range. Inconsistencies are thought to be due to dynamically active clusters that have substructure or are undergoing mergers, making galaxy member identi cation di cult. Six correlations between di erent physical parameters in the optical and X-ray wavelength were consistent with published results. Comparing the velocity dispersion with the X-ray temperature, we found a relation of T0:43 as compared to T0:5 obtained from Bird et al. (1995). X-ray luminosity temperature and X-ray luminosity velocity dispersion relations gave the results LX T2:44 and LX 2:40 which lie within the uncertainty of results given by Rozgacheva & Kuvshinova (2010). These results all suggest that our method for determining galaxy cluster members is e cient and application to higher redshift sources can be considered. Further studies on galaxy clusters with substructure must be performed in order to improve this method. In future work, the physical parameters obtained here will be further compared to X-ray and radio properties in order to determine a link between bent radio sources and the galaxy cluster environment. / MSc (Space Physics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The fluid flow and tracer transport in a single rock fracture during shear processes has been an important issue in rock mechanics and is investigated in this thesis using Finite Element Method (FEM) and streamline particle tracking method, considering evolutions of aperture and transmissivity with shear displacement histories under different normal stresses, based on laboratory tests. The distributions of fracture aperture and its evolution during shear were calculated from the initial aperture fields, based on the laser-scanned surface roughness features of replicas of rock fracture specimens, and shear dilations measured during the coupled shear-flow-tracer tests in laboratory performed using a newly developed testing apparatus in Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan. Three rock fractures of granite with different roughness characteristics were used as parent samples from which nine plaster replicas were made and coupled shear-flow tests was performed under three normal loading conditions (two levels of constant normal loading (CNL) and one constant normal stiffness (CNS) conditions). In order to visualize the tracer transport, transparent acrylic upper parts and plaster lower parts of the fracture specimens were manufactured from an artificially created tensile fracture of sandstone and the coupled shear-flow tests with fluid visualization was performed using a dye tracer injected from upstream and a CCD camera to record the dye movement. A special algorithm for treating the contact areas as zero-aperture elements was used to produce more accurate flow field simulations by using FEM, which is important for continued simulations of particle transport, but was often not properly treated in literature. The simulation results agreed well with the flow rate data obtained from the laboratory tests, showing that complex histories of fracture aperture and tortuous flow channels with changing normal stresses and increasing shear displacements, which were also captured by the coupled shear-flow tests of fracture specimens with visualization of the fluid flow. From the obtained flow velocity fields, the particle transport was predicted by the streamline particle tracking method with calculated flow velocity fields (vectors) from the flow simulations, obtaining results such as flow velocity profiles, total flow rates, particle travel time, breakthrough curves and the Péclet number, Pe, respectively. The fluid flow in the vertical 2-D cross-sections of a rock fracture was also simulated by solving both Navier-Stokes (NS) and Reynolds equations, and the particle transport was predicted by streamline particle tracking method. The results obtained using NS and Reynolds equations were compared to illustrate the degree of the validity of the Reynolds equation for general applications in practice since the later is mush more computationally efficient for large scale problems. The flow simulation results show that the total flow rate and the flow velocity predicted by NS equations are quite different from that as predicted by the Reynolds equation. The results show that a roughly 5-10 % overestimation on the flow rate is produced when the Reynolds equation is used, and the ideal parabolic velocity profiles defined by the local cubic law, when Reynolds equation is used, is no longer valid, especially when the roughness feature of the fracture surfaces changes with shear. These deviations of flow rate and flow velocity profiles across the fracture aperture have a significant impact on the particle transport behavior and the associated properties, such as the travel time and Péclet number. The deviations increase with increasing flow velocity and become more significant when fracture aperture geometry changes with shear. The scientific findings from these studies provided new insights to the physical behavior of fluid flow and mass transport in rock fractures which is the scientific basis for many rock mechanics problems at the fundamental level, and with special importance to rock engineering problems such as geothermal energy extraction (where flow rate in fractures dominates the productivity of a geothermal energy reservoir) and nuclear waste repositories (where radioactive nuclides transport through fractures dominates the final safety evaluations) in fractured rocks. / Vätskeflödet och spårämnestransporten i en enskild bergsspricka under skjuvningsprocesser har varit ett viktigt ämne inom bergmekanik. I denna avhandling undersöks ämnet med hjälp av finita element metoden (FEM) och en strömlinjebaserad partikelspårningsmetod. Hänsyn tas till utveckling av öppningar och transmissivitet med skjuvningens förflyttningshistoria under olika normala belastningar baserat på laboratorietester. Fördelningen av spricköppningar och deras utveckling under skjuvning beräknades från de initiala öppningsfälten baserat på det laserscannade provets ytas grovhetskännetecken sam tskjuvningsöppningar uppmätta under de kopplade skjuvning-flöde-spårämneslaboratorietesterna som utförts med nyutvecklad testapparatur i Nagasaki Universitet i Nagasaki, Japan. Tre bergssprickor i granit med olika grovhetskarakteristika användes som utgångsprover från vilka nio gipskopior gjordes. Kopplade skjuvning-flödes tester utfördes sedan under tre normala belastningstillstånd (två nivåer med konstant normal last (KNL) och en konstant normal styvhetstillstånd (KNS). För att visualisera spårämnestransporten tillverkades en transparent övre del av sprickproverna av akryl och en nedre del av gipsbaserat på en kostgjord spänningsspricka i sandsten och de kopplade skjuvning-flödes testerna med vätskevisualisering utfördes med färgspårämne injekterat uppströms och en CCD kamera monterad ovanför för att registrera färgens rörelse. En särskild algoritm användes för att behandla kontaktytorna som nollöppningsämnen användes för att åstadkomma mer exakta flödesfältssimuleringar med FEM. Detta är viktigt för kontinuerliga simuleringar av partikelflöden men uppmärksammas oftast inte tillräckligt i litteraturen. Simuleringsresultaten överensstämde väl med de flödesnivådata som erhölls från laboratorietesterna vilket visade att komplexa historier av spricköppningar och invecklade flöden överensstämde med ändrade normala belastningar och ökande skjuvningsförflyttningar, vilket även fångades av de kopplade skjuvning-flödestesterna av sprickproverna genom visualisering av vätskeflödet. Från de erhållna flödesfälten förutsågs partikeltransporten genom en strömlinjebaserad partikelspårningsmetod med kalkylerade flödeshastighetsfält (vektorer) från flödessimuleringarna genom vilka resultat som flödeshastighetsprofiler, totala flödesnivåer,partikeltransporttid, genombrottskurvor samt Pécletnumret, Pe, erhölls. Vätskeflödet i det vertikala tvådimensionella tvärsnittet av en bergsspricka simulerades även genom att både Navier-Stokes (NS) och Reynoldsekvationerna löstes och partikeltransporten förutsågs genom den strömlinjebaserade partikelspårningsmetoden. Resultaten som erhöllsmed NS och Reynoldsekvationerna jämfördes för att illustrera graden av tillförlitlighet för Reynoldsekvationen för allmänna tillämpningar i praktiken då den senare är betydligt mer beräkningseffektiv för storskaliga problem. Resultaten från flödessimuleringarna visar att den totala flödesnivån och den totala flödeshastigheten förutsedda med NS ekvationer är helt annorlunda motsvarande värden som förutsågs med Reynoldsekvationen. Resultaten visar att en ca 5-10 % för hög uppskattning av flödesnivån erhålls då Reynoldsekvationen används och de ideala parabola hastighetsprofilerna, som definieras av den lokala kubiklagen när Reynoldsekvationen används, inte längre är giltiga särskilt när sprickytornas grovhetskarakteristika ändras med skjuvning. De här avvikelserna i flödesnivå och flödeshastighetsprofiler längs med spricköppningen har en betydande påverkan på partikeltransportuppträdande och de tillhörande egenskaperna såsom rörelsetid och Pécletnummer. Avvikelserna ökar med ökande flödeshastighet och blir mer signifikanta när spricköppningarnas geometri ändras med skjuvning. Forskningsresultaten från dessa studier gav nya insikter i de fysiska uppträdandet av vätskeflöde och masstransporter i bergssprickor vilket är den vetenskapliga basen för många bergmekanikproblem på grundläggande nivå och som har särskild vikt för bergstekniksproblem såsom geotermisk energiutvinning (där flödesnivå i sprickor dominerar produktiviteten för en geotermisk energikälla) och kärnavfallsförvaringsplatser (där transporten av radioaktiva nuklider genom sprickor dominerar den slutgiltigasäkerhetsutvärderingen) i sprickigt berg. / QC 20100803

Ce travail de recherche propose l’algorithme de calcul pour la modélisation d’un scanner ultrasonore sans contact à ondes de surface. L’approche proposée permet de prendre en compte l’ouverture finie du récepteur, l’atténuation d’air et la réponse électrique he de l’ensemble émetteur-récepteur. Le milieu avec l’atténuation (air et milieu testé) est modélisé dans le domaine temporel à l’aide de la fonction de Green causale permettant la caractérisation large bande. Le réponse he est déterminée de manière expérimentale en utilisant la procédure spatialement développée, incluant la déconvolution des effets d’atténuation. Le modèle est implémenté numériquement en utilisant l’approche de la Représentation Discrète et les résultats obtenus sont validés expérimentalement. La technique chirp est utilisée afin d’améliorer le rapport signal/bruit. Il est démontré que lorsque l’atténuation dans l’air, la dimension de récepteur et la réponse he reconstituée avec précision sont correctement pris en compte, la réponse impulsionnelle du système peut être prédite avec l’erreur de 2-5 %. L’introduction de la taille du récepteur est essentielle pour la prédiction dans le champ proche. Le temps de calcul obtenu est considérablement plus court que le temps nécessaire pour les méthodes FEM. A l’aide de ce modèle l’influence des réglages du scanner est étudiée. Les résultats obtenus permettent de formuler des recommandations pour les réglages optimaux / In this research the time-domain model for the prediction of an acoustic field in an air-coupled, non-contact, surface wave scanner is proposed. The model takes into account the finite size of the aperture receiver, attenuation in air, and the electric response he of the emitter-receiver set he. The attenuation is characterized by a causal time-domain Green’s function, allowing the wideband attenuation of a lossy medium (air and solid tested sample) obeying the power law to be modelled. The response he is recovered experimentally using an original especially developed procedure which includes the deconvolution of air absorption effects. The model is implemented numerically using a Discrete Representation approach and validated experimentally. In order to improve the signal to noise ratio the chirp technique is used. It is shown that when the attenuation in air, the receiver size, and the accurately recovered response he, are correctly taken into account, the model allows the system’s impulse response to be very accurately predicted, with errors ranging between 2-5%. Inclusion of the size of the receiver dimension in the model appears to be crucial to the accuracy of the near field predictions. The obtained computation efficiency is much better that efficiency of FEM methods. The influence of typical user defined settings has been investigated. The obtained conclusions will be used as the recommendations for further use