This thesis provides a summary of the laser system constructed in the Quantum Degenerate Gases Laboratory for laser cooling and trapping of 85/87Rband 6Li as well as of experiments that have been pursued in our lab to date. The first chapter provides an overview of the experimental focus of the QDG lab. The second and third chapters provide the fundamental theory behind laser cooling and trapping. The fourth chapter provides details of the laser system. The fifth chapter describes an experiment performed on the subject of dual-injection, performed in collaboration with Dr. James Booth of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) involving the dual-injection of a single slave amplifier. The last chapter describes the progress made on the experimental setup needed for the study of Feshbach resonances between 85/87Rb and 6Li and the photoassociative formation of molecules.

Noble metal nanoparticles are of great interest due to their tunable optical and radiative properties. The specific wavelength of light at which the localized surface plasmon resonance occurs is dependent upon the shape, size and composition of the particle as well as the dielectric constant of the host medium. Thus, the optical properties of noble metal nanoparticles can be systematically tuned by altering these specific parameters. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate some of these properties related to metallic nanoparticles. The first several chapters focus on theoretical modeling to predict and explain various plasmonic properties of gold and silver nanoparticles while the later chapters focus on more accurately combining experimental and theoretical methods to explain the plasmonic properties of hollow gold nanoparticles of various shapes. The appendix contains a detailed description of the theoretical methods used throughout the thesis. It is intended to serve as a guide such that a user could carry out the various types of calculations discussed in this thesis simply by reading this appendix.

Nitrogen-containing molecules are ubiquitous in both natural products and pharmaceutical drugs, thus an efficient method for the formation of these motifs is of great importance. Hydroamination, that is the addition of an N-H bond across an unsaturated carbon-carbon bond of an alkene or alkyne, stands out as a potential approach to obtain such molecules. To date, most research in this area relies on transition-metal catalysis to enable such reactivity. In efforts directed towards metal-free alternatives, we have developed a simple, metal-free hydroamination of alkenes using hydrazides. Further investigation into the corresponding reactivity of alkynes with hydrazides has provided access to novel azomethine imine products. In Chapter 2, expansion of the substrate scope with respect to the intramolecular hydroamination of alkenes using hydrazides, as well as studies directed towards elucidation of the mechanism of this reaction will be presented. The intramolecular hydroamination of alkynes using hydrazides and methods to access and isolate the azomethine imine products formed will be discussed in Chapter 3.

This doctoral thesis deals with designs and developments of multi(wide)-band multifunctional antennas based on folded dipoles. In the beginning, the concept of Orthogonal Folded Dipoles (OFD) are put forward. Orthogonal folded dipoles are formed by two identical two-port folded dipoles orthogonally joining with each other at the center, and can be fed through different combinations of feed nodes to offer dual- and wide-band modes, respectively. The impedances of the 2 modes are studied both by analytical models and by commercial electromagnetic simulation tools. The properties of the linearly polarized radiation patterns in the two modes vary quite little, except for ±45◦  rotation of two principal planes. In this way, orthogonal folded dipoles can possibly provide pattern reconfigurability in a context of switchable types and orientations of polarizations. Next, the concept of Log-Periodic Folded Dipole Array (LPFDA) is proposed. It stems from the traditional log-periodic dipole array, whereas folded dipoles instead of straight dipoles are applied as the elements of the array. Two configurations, i.e. partly-scaled LPFDA and fully-scaled LPFDA, are studied through simulations and optimizations. The comparison shows that the latter outperforms the former in terms of higher directivity, reduced front-to-back ratio and lower crosspolar level. The key parts of this thesis focus on exploiting Eleven antennas, based on the LPFDAs, in a variety of applications. First, the 4-port L-band lab model for use in satellite terminals demonstrates that the radiation patterns for monopulse tracking can be achieved through different excitation combinations of the multiport Eleven antenna. Second, a decade bandwidth, an unchanged phase center and nearly constant directivities over the whole band can be regarded as the major figure-of-merit of the Eleven antenna, which makes it suitable as feed for prime-fed reflector antennas. Through endeavors of using Genetic Algorithms, the wideband Eleven antennas have been gradually optimized in term of matching as well as efficiencies. Besides, the rotationally symmetric circular Eleven feed is a very promising solution for improving the BOR1 efficiency and therefore the aperture efficiency by a fraction of dB. Last but not least, the two multiport L-band lab models measured in a reverberation chamber demonstrate that the Eleven antenna with MIMO diversity ports can possibly overcome narrowband multipath fading in a real radio link and improve the link quality in terms of a significant diversity gain and high maximum available capacity.

<p>Efficient, but low-profile and small-footprint antennas for VHF-UHF range applications remains an ongoing work. VHF range spans approximately 54 - 88 MHz while UHF roughly ranges from 174 - 890 MHz. The inverse relationship between the physical length and resonant frequency of an antenna, which is a measure of its operating frequency range, is well known. A direct correlation between an antenna's physical length and radiation efficiency has also been established. Therefore, a combination of these constraints complicates the design of low-frequency antennas that have small physical size but with enough radiation resistance to be an efficient radiator when connected to a source having a comparable resistance. Given the frequency bands above, their corresponding wavelengths will be: 3.4-5.5 m (VHF) and 0.3-1.7 m (UHF). The length of an antenna operating at these wavelengths would need to be electrically-small i.e. a fraction of wavelength given size constraints for applications such as defense or commercial mobile communication equipment. As a consequence, the radiation resistance of the antenna, which is a function of its radiation efficiency, is greatly reduced. In other words, the input impedance or radiation impedance (assuming negligible ohmic losses in the antenna structure) features a small resistive component and a large capacitive component, causing reflections of most of the incident power to the antenna. Highly-reactive antennas are not desired for most transmitters and receivers. Therefore, the radiation resistance of an antenna must be increased by increasing its electrical length while simultaneously maintaining a low profile and footprint. This aim can be achieved by configuring the antenna to excite a resonance at, or very close to a desired operating frequency. An approach that I will explore in this dissertation is to exploit the broadband characteristics of meander-line and helical (or "spiral") antennas typically applied in the microwave frequency range to the UHF-VHF range. I will also propose novel antenna geometries that combine spiral and meander-line properties and analyze their performance. These antennas offer significant size reductions; for example, a bowtie meander dipole antenna studied yielded a height reduction of 55% at 64 MHz relative to a half-wave dipole antenna of the same resonant frequency. In addition, I will present a set of equations developed for predicting the fundamental resonant frequency and radiation resistance of meander-line antennas.</p> / Dissertation

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1996. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [114]-116).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-180).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007. / You Li, Committee Chair ; Citrin David, Committee Member ; Kuzmich Alex, Committee Member ; Fox Ronald, Committee Member ; Chapman Michael, Committee Member.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-132).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2007. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.