Acoustic instabilities in a combustion chamber arise due to the coupling of acoustic pressure with in-phase heat-release, and are characterized by large amplitude oscillations of one or more natural modes of combustor. Even though an array of studies, both theoretical and experimental, has been conducted by a number of authors in this field to extract the flame response, most of these are based on kinematic flame models. In this dissertation, an experimental study of a subsonic flame's intrinsic response to acoustic pressure perturbations is performed for the case of a tube closed at one end and the other end opened to the atmospheric conditions. Pressure fluctuations inside the tube are measured for hot and cold side flows, and their varying trend is explained. The frequencies obtained from Fourier transform analysis exhibit a strong dependence with the distance between the stabilized flame position and open end of the tube. For different values of flame position (xf ), the values of growth constant 's' are calculated from the pressure versus time data readings procured from acoustic pressure transducer and dominant frequencies are analyzed from windowed FFT of the same. The expression for obtaining response function from the measured pressure fluctuations has been derived from the 1-D linearized conservation equations. The undamped response function plot is obtained by adding the decay rates at different frequencies inside the tube to the corresponding growth rates. Finally, the effect of blockage of pre-mixed flow on the growth rates inside the tube and consequently, the flame response values, is studied by repeating the experiment with different types of flame holders. A large number of theoretical flame-response models have been developed in modern literature, and some of these models are compared with the experimentally obtained response. Suggestions are also cited in this study so as to account for the observed deviations in trends. This includes a revisit of the intrinsic flame model by incorporating the effect of flame-area perturbations, with the aid of analyzed steady flame images.

Le modèle ΛCDM de la cosmologie repose sur l’existence d’une composante exotique, appelée énergie noire, pour expliquer l’accélération tardive de l’expansion de l’univers à z < 0.7. Des alternatives à cette constante cosmologique proposent de modifier la théorie de la gravitation basée sur la relativité générale aux échelles cosmologiques. Depuis l’automne 2014, le multi-spectrographe SDSS-eBOSS effectue un relevé de quasars dans un domaine en redshift peu exploré entre 0.8 ≤ z ≤ 2.2 dont l’un des objectifs majeurs est d’étendre les contraintes sur la nature de l’énergie noire et de tester la validité de la théorie de la relativité générale à plus haut redshift en utilisant les quasars comme traceurs de la matière.Dans cette thèse, nous mesurons et analysons la fonction de corrélation à deux points de l’échantillon de quasars obtenu après deux ans d'observation de eBOSS pour contraindre les distances cosmiques, à savoir la distance angulaire DA et le taux d'expansion H, ainsi que le taux de croissance des structures fσ8 à un redshift effectif Zeff = 1.52. Nous commençons par construire des catalogues des grandes structures qui prennent en compte la géométrie angulaire et radiale du relevé. Puis pour obtenir des contraintes robustes, nous identifions plusieurs sources d’effets systématiques, en particulier ceux liés à la modélisation et aux observations sont étudiées avec des « mock catalogues » dédiés qui correspondent à des réalisations fictives de l’échantillon de quasars eBOSS. Les paramètres cosmologiques de ces catalogues fictifs étant connus, ils sont utilisés comme référence pour tester notre procédure d’analyse. Les résultats de ce travail sur l’évolution des distances cosmiques sont compatibles avec les prédictions du modèle ΛCDM utilisant les paramètres de Planck et basé sur l’existence d’une constante cosmologique. La mesure du taux de croissance des structures est compatible avec la prédiction de ce modèle basé sur la relativité générale, ce qui étend ainsi la validité de la théorie aux échelles cosmologiques à grand redshift. Nous utilisons également notre mesure pour mettre à jour les contraintes sur les modèles d'extensions à ΛCDM et sur les scénarios de gravité modifiée. Ce travail de thèse constitue une première étude menée avec les données de quasars eBOSS et sera utilisée pour l’analyse de l’échantillon final à la fin 2019 ou l’on attend une amélioration de la précision statistique d’un facteur 2. Associé à BOSS, eBOSS ouvrira la voie pour les futurs programmes d’observation, comme le télescope au sol DESI et le satellite Euclid. Ces deux programmes sonderont intensivement l’époque de l’univers entre 1 < z < 2 en observant plusieurs millions de spectres, ce qui permettra d'améliorer d'un ordre de grandeur au moins les contraintes actuelles sur les paramètres cosmologiques. / The ΛCDM model of cosmology assumes the existence of an exotic component, called dark energy, to explain the late-time acceleration of the expansion of the universe at redshift z < 0.7. Alternative scenarios to this cosmological constant suggest to modify the theory of gravitation based on general relativity at cosmological scales. Since fall 2014, the SDSS-IV eBOSS multi-object spectrograph has undertaken a survey of quasars in the almost unexplored redshift range 0.8 ≤ z ≤ 2.2 with the key science goal to complement the constraints on dark energy and extend the test of general relativity at higher redshifts by using quasars as direct tracers of the matter field.In this thesis work, we measure and analyse the two-point correlation function of the two-year data taking of eBOSS quasar sample to constrain the cosmic distances, i.e. the angular diameter distance DA and the expansion rate H, and the growth rate of structure fσ8 at an effective redshift Zeff = 1.52. First, we build large-scale structure catalogues that account for the angular and radial incompleteness of the survey. Then to obtain robust results, we investigate several potential systematics, in particular modeling and observational systematics are studied using dedicated mock catalogs which are fictional realizations of the data sample. These mocks are created with known cosmological parameters such that they are used as a benchmark to test the analysis pipeline. The results on the evolution of distances are consistent with the predictions for ΛCDM with Planck parameters assuming a cosmological constant. The measurement of the growth of structure is consistent with general relativity and hence extends its validity to higher redshift. We also provide updated constraints on extensions of ΛCDM and models of modified gravity. This study is a first use of eBOSS quasars as tracers of the matter field and will be included in the analysis of the final eBOSS sample at the end of 2019 with an expected improvement on the statistical precision of a factor 2. Together with BOSS, eBOSS will pave the way for future programs such as the ground-based Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and the space-based mission Euclid. Both programs will extensively probe the intermediate redshift range 1 < z < 2 with millions of spectra, improving the cosmological constraints by an order of magnitude with respect to current measurements.

Il y a presque dix ans que l'accélération de l'expansion de l'Univers a été mise en évidence grâce aux observations des supernovae de type Ia et du fonds diffus cosmologique. Cette découverte a changé notre compréhension du contenu énergétique de l'Univers puisque pour expliquer une telle accélération, une composante supplémentaire de matière (effective ou non) est nécessaire et contribue à hauteur de 70%. Cette dernière est appelé «énergie noire». Elle affecte aussi bien les mesures de distance, que la croissance des sur-densités de matières primordiales qui donnent naissance aux structures. Les principales sondes sensibles à ces deux dernières quantités sont les supernovae de type Ia, les amas de galaxies, les lentilles gravitationnelles, et les oscillations acoustiques des baryons (BAO). Afin de contraindre précisément les modèles théoriques (Constante Cosmologique, modification de la théorie de la relativité générale par exemple) qui tentent de déterminer la nature de l'énergie noire, l'observation de chacune de ces quatre sondes est indispensable. Le niveau de précision sur la mesure des paramètres des modèles d'énergie noire requis est tel qu'une nouvelle génération d'instruments va voir le jour dans les années à venir avec notamment le télescope LSST (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope). Le télescope LSST dont le miroir primaire fait 8.4 mètres de diamètre, produira un sondage couvrant la moitié du ciel observable dans 6 bandes photométriques pendant 10 ans. Sa caméra sera la plus grosse caméra jamais construite dans le monde avec un plan focal de 3.2 milliards de pixels. Cette thèse présente à la fois un aspect expérimental et phénoménologique. Le travail présenté porte tout d'abord sur l'élaboration du banc d'étalonnage de la caméra de LSST, et des premières mesures optiques validant le schéma de principe du banc. Nous présenterons ensuite la simulation des BAO dédiée à LSST tentant de prédire à quelle précision les paramètres d'énergie noire pourront être contraint. L'accent est mis sur la production d'un catalogue photométrique de galaxies simulé ainsi que sur une méthode de calcul des redshifts photométriques. La validation de la méthode grâce à des données spectro-photométriques du CFHTLS est également présentée. / More than ten years ago, the accelerated expansion of the Universe was discovered, by type Ia supernovae, and then confirmed by other probes. This discovery has changed our understanding of the energetic content of the Universe. Indeed, in order to explain such an acceleration, a new component has to be introduced and it must contribute to 70% of the total energy density. This component, the so called Dark Energy, affects both cosmological distances and the growth of structures from which galaxies originates. The main cosmological probes of dark energy are the type Ia supernovae, the galaxy cluster count, the weak gravitational lensing and the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO). In order to precisely constrain theoretical models, such as the cosmological constant, a modify gravity or a new scalar field, joint observations of all four probes are very efficient. The required accuracy on cosmological measurements is so high that a new generation of instruments is growing, among which the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). The telescope, with a primary mirror of 8.4 m diameter, will cover half of the optical sky in six photometric bandpasses. Its camera will be the world biggest camera ever constructed with a focal plane array composed of 3.2 Gpixels. This thesis treats both the experimental and phenomenological aspects. Firstly, the work presented here consists in the development of the LSST camera calibration optical bench. We have designed a system allowing an efficient commissioning of the camera before its installation on the telescope, and a precise calibration of the focal plane. Preliminary measurements validating the design of the bench will be presented. Secondly, a detailed Baryon Acoustic Oscillations simulation dedicated to LSST will be introduced. Its main goal is to predict the level of precision on the dark energy equation of state parameter reconstruction that will be reached with LSST. We will stress on the production of a mock photometric galaxy catalog and on the photometric redshifts computation. A validation of the method on real spectro-photometric from CFHTLS will also be shown.

One of the primary targets of current and especially future cosmological observations are light thermal relics of the hot big bang. Within the Standard Model of particle physics, an important thermal relic are cosmic neutrinos, while many interesting extensions of the Standard Model predict new light particles which are even more weakly coupled to ordinary matter and therefore hard to detect in terrestrial experiments. On the other hand, these elusive particles may be produced efficiently in the early universe and their gravitational influence could be detectable in cosmological observables. In this thesis, we describe how measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the large-scale structure (LSS) of the universe can shed new light on the properties of neutrinos and on the possible existence of other light relics. These cosmological observations are remarkably sensitive to the amount of radiation in the early universe, partly because free-streaming species such as neutrinos imprint a small phase shift in the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) which we study in detail in the CMB and LSS power spectra. Building on this analytic understanding, we provide further evidence for the cosmic neutrino background by independently confirming its free-streaming nature in different, currently available datasets. In particular, we propose and establish a new analysis of the BAO spectrum beyond its use as a standard ruler, resulting in the first measurement of this imprint of neutrinos in the clustering of galaxies. Future cosmological surveys, such as the next generation of CMB experiments (CMB-S4), have the potential to measure the energy density of relativistic species at the sub-percent level and will therefore be capable of probing physics beyond the Standard Model. We demonstrate how this improvement in sensitivity can indeed be achieved and present an observational target which would allow the detection of any extra light particle that has ever been in thermal equilibrium. Interestingly, even the absence of a detection would result in new insights by providing constraints on the couplings to the Standard Model. As an example, we show that existing bounds on additional scalar particles, such as axions, may be surpassed by orders of magnitude.

En passant de l’état massif à la nanoparticule les matériaux métalliques voient certaines de leurs caractéristiques modifiées de manière notable comme par exemple les propriétés optiques avec l’apparition d’une résonance dans le spectre optique, la Résonance Plasmon de Surface Localisée (RPSL) responsable du changement de couleur des nanoparticules métalliques. Les propriétés vibrationnelles et thermiques de nanoparticules métalliques ont été étudiées à l’aide d’une technique de Spectroscopie Femtoseconde. Nous avons montré qu’il était possible d’exciter et de détecter optiquement des fréquences de vibrations mécaniques dans le domaine térahertz pour des nanoparticules de platine composées de moins de cent atomes. D’autre part l’augmentation des effets dus aux interfaces a été mis en évidence sur les propriétés thermiques de nanoparticules d’or et d’argent. La résistance thermique à l’interface, résistance de Kapitza, voit son rôle augmenter lors du transfert thermique à l’échelle nanométrique. Une corrélation entre les valeurs mesurées et les impédances acoustiques des matériaux composants les interfaces a été mise en évidence. Nous avons aussi montré qu’elle augmente quand la température diminue de 300K à 70K. Les propriétés optiques de nanoparticules non sphériques ont été étudiées à l’aide de la Spectroscopie à Modulation Spatiale. Cette technique a permis de repérer puis de caractériser des nano-bâtonnets d’or individuels. Nous avons montré que la largeur spectrale de la RPSL est fortement dépendante de la géométrie des nanoparticules (diamètre et longueur). Cette double dépendance n’est pas prédite par les modèles classiques ou quantique existants / The size reduction of metals, from bulk to nanoparticles, induces significant modifications of their properties. For instance, the optical properties evolve and a new resonance, the localized surface plasmon resonance, appears in the optical spectrum and is responsible for the change of colors of metallic nanoparticles. This work is focused on studies of metals’ properties at the nanometric scale. In the first part, the vibrational and thermal properties are studied with a femtosecond spectroscopy technique. It is shown that it is possible to excite and detect optically vibrational frequencies in the terahertz domain by studying platinum nanoparticles formed by less than 100 atoms. The study of the thermal properties of the metallic nanoparticles (gold and silver) has shown that the boundary effect increases. This thermal boundary resistance, known as the Kapitza resistance, plays a dominant role in the heat transfer at the nanometric scale. A correlation between the experimental values of the thermal boundary resistance and the acoustic impedances of the boundary’s materials has been found. We have also shown that the Kapitza resistance is a decreasing function of the temperature in the 70-300K range. In the second part, the effect of the size reduction on the optical properties of non-spherical nanoparticles is observed. The Spatial Modulation Spectroscopy technique is used in order to locate and study individual gold nanorods. It is shown that the two geometrical parameters (the length and the diameter) of the nanorods influence the spectral linewidth of the localized surface plasmon resonance. This effect is not predicted by existing classical or quantum models

This thesis presents work around 3 themes: dark energy, gravitational waves and Bayesian inference. Both dark energy and gravitational wave physics are not yet well constrained. They present interesting challenges for Bayesian inference, which attempts to quantify our knowledge of the universe given our astrophysical data. A dark energy equation of state reconstruction analysis finds that the data favours the vacuum dark energy equation of state $w {=} -1$ model. Deviations from vacuum dark energy are shown to favour the super-negative ‘phantom’ dark energy regime of $w {< } -1$, but at low statistical significance. The constraining power of various datasets is quantified, finding that data constraints peak around redshift $z = 0.2$ due to baryonic acoustic oscillation and supernovae data constraints, whilst cosmic microwave background radiation and Lyman-$\alpha$ forest constraints are less significant. Specific models with a conformal time symmetry in the Friedmann equation and with an additional dark energy component are tested and shown to be competitive to the vacuum dark energy model by Bayesian model selection analysis: that they are not ruled out is believed to be largely due to poor data quality for deciding between existing models. Recent detections of gravitational waves by the LIGO collaboration enable the first gravitational wave tests of general relativity. An existing test in the literature is used and sped up significantly by a novel method developed in this thesis. The test computes posterior odds ratios, and the new method is shown to compute these accurately and efficiently. Compared to computing evidences, the method presented provides an approximate 100 times reduction in the number of likelihood calculations required to compute evidences at a given accuracy. Further testing may identify a significant advance in Bayesian model selection using nested sampling, as the method is completely general and straightforward to implement. We note that efficiency gains are not guaranteed and may be problem specific: further research is needed.