In this thesis we present research into linear perturbations in Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) and Assisted Coupled Quintessence (ACQ) Cosmologies. First we give a brief overview of the standard model of cosmology. We then introduce Cosmological Perturbation Theory (CPT) at linear order for a at Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) cosmology. Next we study linear perturbations to a Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) background spacetime. Studying the transformation behaviour of the perturbations under gauge transformations, we construct gauge invariant quantities in LTB. We show, using the perturbed energy conservation equation, that there is a conserved quantitiy in LTB which is conserved on all scales. We then briefly extend our discussion to the Lemaître spacetime, and construct gauge-invariant perturbations in this extension of LTB spacetime. We also study the behaviour of linear perturbations in assisted coupled quintessence models in a FRW background. We provide the full set of governing equations for this class of models, and solve the system numerically. The code written for this purpose is then used to evolve growth functions for various models and parameter values, and we compare these both to the standard CDM model and to current and future observational bounds. We also examine the applicability of the "small scale approximation", often used to calculate growth functions in quintessence models, in light of upcoming experiments such as SKA and Euclid. We nd the results of the full equations deviates from the approximation by more than the experimental uncertainty for these future surveys. The construction of the numerical code, Pyessence, written in Python to solve the system of background and perturbed evolution equations for assisted coupled quintessence, is also discussed.

We propose and construct a two-parameter expansion around a Friedmann-Lemaitre- Robertson-Walker geometry which uses both large-scale and small-scale perturbations analogous to cosmological perturbation theory and post-Newtonian gravity. We justify this observationally, derive a set of field equations valid on a fraction of the horizon size and perform a detailed investigation of the associated gauge problem. We find only the Newtonian gauge, out of the standard gauges used in cosmological perturbation theory, is applicable to post-Newtonian perturbations; we can identify a consistent set of perturbed quantities in the matter and gravity sectors and construct corresponding gauge-invariant quantities. The field equations, written in terms of these quantities, takes on a simpler form, and allows the effects of small-scale structure on the large-scale properties of the Universe to be clearly identified and discussed for different physical scenarios. With a definition of statistical homogeneity, we find that the cosmological constant and the average energy density, of radiation and dust, source the Friedmann equation, whereas only the inhomogeneous part of the Newtonian energy density sources the Newton-Poisson equation { even though both originate from the same equation. There exists field equations at new orders in our formalism, such as a frame-dragging field equation a hundred times larger than expected from using cosmological perturbation theory alone. Moreover, we find non-linear gravity, mode-mixing and a mixing-of-scales at orders one would not expect from intuition based on cosmological perturbation theory. By recasting the field equations as an effective fluid we observe that these non-linearities lead to, for example, a large-scale effective pressure and anisotropic stress. We expect our formalism to be useful for accurately modelling our Universe, and for investigating the effects of non-linear gravity in the era of ultra-large-scale surveys.

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Predictions of heavy quark parameters are an integral component of precision tests of the Standard Model of particle physics. Experimental measurements of electroweak processes involving heavy hadrons provide stringent tests of Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix unitarity and serve as a probe of new physics. Hadronic matrix elements parameterise the strong dynamics of these interactions and these matrix elements must be calculated nonperturbatively. Lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) provides the framework for nonperturbative calculations of QCD processes. Current lattices are too coarse to directly simulate b quarks. Therefore an effective theory, nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD), is used to discretise the heavy quarks. High precision simulations are required so systematic uncertainties are removed by improving the NRQCD action. Precise simulations also require improved sea quark actions, such as the highly-improved staggered quark (HISQ) action. The renormalisation parameters of these actions cannot be feasibly determined by hand and thus automated procedures have been developed. In this dissertation I apply automated lattice pertubartion theory to a number of heavy quark calculations. I first review the fundamentals of lattice QCD and the construction of lattice NRQCD. I then motivate and discuss lattice perturbation theory in detail, focussing on the tools and techniques that I use in this dissertation. I calculate the two-loop tadpole improvement factors for improved gluons with improved light quarks. I then compute the renormalisation parameters of NRQCD. I use a mix of analytic and numerical methods to extract the one-loop radiative corrections to the higher order kinetic operators in the NRQCD action. I then employ a fully automated procedure to calculate the heavy quark energy shift at two-loops. I use this result to extract a new prediction of the mass of the b quark from lattice NRQCD simulationsby the HPQCD collaboration. I also review the calculation of the radiative corrections to the chromo-magnetic operator in the NRQCD action. This computation is the first outcome of our implementation of background field gauge for automated lattice perturbation theory. Finally, I calculate the heavy-light currents for highly-improved NRQCD heavy quarks with massless HISQ light quarks and discuss the application of these results to nonperturbative studies by the HPQCD collaboration.

This thesis presents analytic and computational advances in the prediction of perturbative nonlinear optical spectroscopies. The contributions of this thesis are packaged together in an open source, freely available piece of software called ultrafast spectroscopy suite (UFSS). It is designed to automatically simulate nonlinear optical spectroscopies for any phase-matching or phase-cycling condition, including finite pulse effects. UFSS includes an algorithm called the diagram generator (DG) that automates the process of writing out all of the Feynman diagrams that contribute to a desired phase-matching or phase-cycling condition, and includes all pulse overlap diagrams when relevant, paving the way toward automation of perturbative calculations. Further, many diagrams can be automatically combined into composite diagrams, giving an exponential decrease in computation time of high-order calculations. Composite diagrams even allow for the efficient study of Rabi oscillations as a function of pulse amplitude, by summing many orders of perturbation theory. The perturbative calculations are done using a novel algorithm presented in this thesis called Ultrafast Ultrafast spectroscopy (UF2). UF2 is an efficient method for determining diagrammatic contributions to spectra including arbitrary (whether analytical or experimentally measured) pulse shapes. It uses the speed of the fast Fourier transform to be as much as 500 times faster than direct propagation techniques for small model Hamiltonians (for Hamiltonian dimension of 100 or less). UF2 outperforms direct propagation techniques for a wide range of model systems, with the speed boost diminishing as the dimension of the model Hamiltonian increases. UF2 can predict spectra for any model system whose relevant Hilbert space that can be described using a finite basis and that can be diagonalized numerically, and users are free to specify their own model. UFSS includes a model generator that generates Hamiltonians and Liouvillians of vibronic systems, allowing users to easily simulate NLOSs for a wide range of model system parameters. UFSS is a fully functional piece of software for simulating any NLOS, to any desired order in perturbation theory.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The first boundary value problem for eΔu + a(x,y,e)ux + b(x,y,e)uy +c(x,y,e)u = d(x,y,e) for small e. This problem with coefficients independent of e was treated by Norman Levinson and appeared in Annals of Mathematics, Vol. 51, No. 2, March, 1950 [TRUNCATED]. / 2031-01-01

<p> In this thesis, the standard perturbation theory is applied to nuclear matter. The second order term is simplified by the introduction of the K(k,k',q) function which takes care of the Pauli Exclusion Principle. Various potentials are used in the calculation of the first and second order term of the perturbation expansion. The results are then discussed.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

<p> It is known that when two subspaces of a Hilbert space are in some sense close to each other, then there exists a unitary operator which is called the direct rotation. This operator maps one of the subspaces onto the other while being as close to identity as possible. In this thesis we study such a pair of subspaces, and the application of the angles between them to the invariant subspace perturbation theory We also develop an efficient algorithm for computing the direct rotation for pairs of subspaces of relatively small dimension. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Numerical Stochastic Perturbation theory is a powerful tool for estimating high-order perturbative expansions in lattice quantum field theory. The standard algorithm based on the Langevin equation, however, suffers from several limitations which in practice restrict the potential of this technique: first of all it is not exact, a sequence of simulations with finer and finer discretization of the relevant equations have to be performed in order to extrapolate away the systematic errors in the results; and, secondly, the numerical simulations suffer from critical slowing down as the continuum limit of the theory is approached. In this thesis I investigate some alternative methods which improve upon the standard approach. In particular, I present a formulation of Numerical Stochastic Perturbation theory based on the Generalised Hybrid Molecular Dynamics algorithm and a study of the recently proposed Instantaneous Stochastic Perturbation Theory. The viability of these methods is investigated in φ4 theory.