A wide range of non-destructive testing (NDT) methods for the monitoring the health of concrete structure has been studied for several years. The recent rapid evolution of wireless sensor network (WSN) technologies has resulted in the development of sensing elements that can be embedded in concrete, to monitor the health of infrastructure, collect and report valuable related data. The monitoring system can potentially decrease the high installation time and reduce maintenance cost associated with wired monitoring systems. The monitoring sensors need to operate for a long period of time, but sensors batteries have a finite life span. Hence, novel wireless powering methods must be devised. The optimization of wireless power transfer via Strongly Coupled Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) to sensors embedded in concrete is studied here. First, we analytically derive the optimal geometric parameters for transmission of power in the air. This specifically leads to the identification of the local and global optimization parameters and conditions, it was validated through electromagnetic simulations. Second, the optimum conditions were employed in the model for propagation of energy through plain and reinforced concrete at different humidity conditions, and frequencies with extended Debye's model. This analysis leads to the conclusion that SCMR can be used to efficiently power sensors in plain and reinforced concrete at different humidity levels and depth, also validated through electromagnetic simulations. The optimization of wireless power transmission via SMCR to Wearable and Implantable Medical Device (WIMD) are also explored. The optimum conditions from the analytics were used in the model for propagation of energy through different human tissues. This analysis shows that SCMR can be used to efficiently transfer power to sensors in human tissue without overheating through electromagnetic simulations, as excessive power might result in overheating of the tissue. Standard SCMR is sensitive to misalignment; both 2-loops and 3-loops SCMR with misalignment-insensitive performances are presented. The power transfer efficiencies above 50% was achieved over the complete misalignment range of 0°-90° and dramatically better than typical SCMR with efficiencies less than 10% in extreme misalignment topologies.

Subject of this dissertation is "Strategic Analysis of an Enterprise". In theoretical part are evaluated common analytics methods. This method are applied on company GOPAS, a.s. in practical part, aim is to find strong and weak aspects, opportunities, potentials threats, which affect business of the GOPAS company.

Este trabalho visa a estudar o modelo de percolação independente, de Bernoulli, em grafos, tendo como objetivo principal obter condições que garantam a ocorrência de transição de fase. Iniciamos apresentando as definições e algumas técnicas fundamentais para o modelo de percolação (de elos ou de sítios) em um grafo infinito, conectado e localmente finito. Demonstramos então dois resultados essenciais: os fatos do parâmetro crítico não depender da escolha do vértice e da existência de um aglomerado infinito ter probabilidade 0 ou 1. Também obtemos um limitante inferior para o parâmetro crítico quando o grafo é de grau limitado. Para finalizar esta parte introdutória, analisamos a percolação em grafos particulares, a saber, a rede hipercúbica Z^d (para a qual mostramos a existência de transição de fase em dimensão d >= 2 e a unicidade do aglomerado infinito na fase supercrítica) e alguns tipos de árvores (para as quais apresentamos os parâmetros críticos). Na parte mais importante da dissertação, tendo como base os trabalhos de Benjamini e Schramm, de Häggström, Schonmann e Steif e de Lyons e Peres, introduzimos os conceitos de transitividade, amenabilidade e amenabilidade forte para um grafo. Fazemos uma detalhada discussão destas definições: provamos que a constante de Cheeger ancorada não depende do vértice em que é ancorada, estudamos relações entre os conceitos (amenabilidade e amenabilidade forte são noções distintas, bem como condições necessárias e suficientes para ambas) e calculamos a constante de Cheeger e a constante de Cheeger ancorada para alguns grafos. Finalmente, utilizando a técnica de crescimento do aglomerado, apresentamos para a probabilidade crítica um limitante superior que depende da constante ancorada. Isto nos permite concluir que ocorre transição de fase para qualquer grafo infinito, conectado, fracamente não-amenável (de constante de Cheeger ancorada positiva) e de grau limitado. / This work intends to study independent Bernoulli percolation model on graphs; the main purpose is obtaining conditions for phase transition. We begin presenting the definitions and some basic techniques for bond percolation and site percolation models on infinite, connected, locally finite graphs. We prove two essential results: the critical parameter is independent of the choice of the vertex and the probability that there exists an infinite cluster takes the values 0 and 1 only. We also obtain a lower bound for critical parameter when the graph is of bounded degree. To finish this preliminary part, we analyze percolation on particular graphs, namely the d-dimensional cubic lattice Z^d (for which we prove that there exists phase transition in dimension d >= 2 and the uniqueness of the infinite cluster in supercritical phase) and some trees (for which we present the critical parameters). In the most important part of this essay, founded in the works of Benjamini and Schramm, Häggström, Schonmann and Steif and Lyons and Peres, we introduce the concepts of transitivity, amenability and strong amenability. We discuss in detail these definitions: we prove that anchored Cheeger constant does not depend on the choice of the vertex, we study some relations (amenability and strong amenability are distinct notions, and necessary and sufficient conditions for both) and we obtain Cheeger constant and anchored Cheeger constant for some graphs. Finally, using the growing cluster technique, we present for the critical probability an upper bound that depends on the anchored constant. This permits us to conclude that there exists phase transition on infinite, connected, weakly non-amenable graphs of bounded degree.

Dans ce travail de thèse nous avons étudié les propriétés de fluorescence de films minces d’or dopés avec des molécules organiques Nous avons montré par imagerie électroniques MEB et TEM qu’ils sont structurés en agglomérats de nanocristaux (5 à 10nm) recouverts de molécules formant un gap nanométrique. Dans les spectres d’extinction nous avons observé la présence de la résonance plasmon du métal ainsi que d’une autre résonance à 600nm que nous attribuons au plasmon de gap.Les spectres d’émission et d’excitation de fluorescence ont confirmé que ces films dopés fluorescents avec une composante venant de la fluorescence de l’or, et une autre caractéristique de la présence des molécules fluorescentes. Les décalages spectraux en excitation et en émission à la fois de l’or et des molécules sont les signes d’un couplage fort entre leurs états électroniques, ce qui serait en accord avec la très forte concentration de molécules dans le film (1/100 molaire)L’observation non intuitive de la fluorescence des molécules insérées dans la couche d’or aurait pour origine l’augmentation considérable de leur taux radiatifs qui a été récemment observé dans les nanogaps. / In this thesis work we studied the fluorescence properties of gold thin films doped with organic molecules. We have shown by electronic imaging SEM and TEM that they are structured in agglomerates of nanocrystals (5 to 10 nm) covered with molecules forming a nanometric gap. In the quenching spectra we observed the presence of the plasmon resonance of the metal as well as another resonance at 600nm that we attribute to the gap plasmon.The fluorescence emission and excitation spectra confirmed that these fluorescent doped films with a component coming from the fluorescence of gold, and another characteristic of the presence of fluorescent molecules. The spectral shifts in excitation and in emission of both the gold and the molecules are the signs of a strong coupling between their electronic states, which would be in agreement with the very high concentration of molecules in the film (1/100 molar)The non-intuitive observation of the fluorescence of the molecules inserted into the gold layer is due to the considerable increase in their radiative levels that has recently been observed in nanogaps.

The diploma thesis deals with the optical response of resonant infrared antennas on silicon dioxide thin film. At first, theory of electromagnetism at metal/dielectric interfaces is described. In the next part, experimental and numerical methods used in the thesis are described and strong coupling between two systems is explained. In the final part of the thesis, the optical response of resonant infrared antennas on a silicon dioxide thin film is studied by Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy and FDTD simulations which both show the strong coupling between localized plasmons and phonons in silicon dioxide.

This diploma thesis deals with numerical simulations of the optical response of plasmonic infrared antennas placed on silicon substrates with thin film of silicon dioxide and subsequently with fitting of scattering spectra by model of coupled harmonic oscillators. In this work, we study an influence of length of antennas on the strength of coupling of localized surface plasmons in the antennas with phonons in silicon dioxide film. Also, the influence of silicon dioxide film thickness on this coupling is investigated.

Moderne Lasereinrichtungen stellen hochintensives Licht mit sehr kurzer zeitlicher Struktur zur Verfügung. Damit bringen diese Einrichtungen die Phänomene in die Laboratorien, welche normalerweise nur in der Nähe von stark strahlenden Sternen im Weltall zu finden sind. Bezüglich der Streuprozesse von Teilchen innerhalb dieser extremen Lichtquellen gibt es eine Vielzahl an theoretischen Untersuchungen. Vorwiegend geschehen diese unter der Verwendung der Starkfeld-Quantenelektrodynamik, einer Theorie zur quanten- theoretischen Beschreibung von elektromagnetischen Wechselwirkungen innerhalb eines kohärenten hochintensiven Feldes, welches als semi-klassisches Hintergrundfeld beschrieben wird. Zum Beispiel zeigte die theoretische Behandlung des Compton-Prozesses (die inelastis- che Elektron-Photon-Streuung) oder des Breit-Wheeler-Prozesses (der Paarproduktion in der Kollision von zwei Photonen) innerhalb der Starkfeld-Quantenelektrodynamik eine große Menge an neuen nicht-linearen Effekten und Phänomen, welche stellenweise in zukun- ftsweisenden Experimenten nachgewiesen werden konnten. Von großem Interesse und auch zentrales Untersuchungsobjekt der vorliegenden Arbeit ist ebenso der Trident-Prozess: ein Prozess zweiter Ordnung in der (Starkfeld-) Quan- tenelektrodynamik, bei dem ein Elektron-Positron-Paar innerhalb der Kollision eines Photonstrahls (z.B. erzeugt von einem Laser) und eines gegenläufigen Elektronenstrahls entsteht. Allerdings ist der Trident-Prozess im Zusammenhang mit hochintensiven Feldern nicht ausschließlich das Produkt seiner Teile, den erwähnten Compton- und Breit-Wheeler- Prozessen, vielmehr erzeugt das Vorhandensein des intermediären Photons durch seine virtuellen und reellen Beträge überaus komplizierte Strukturen. In den letzten Jahren gab es daher eine große Menge an theoretischen Beiträgen zur nicht-linearen Behandlung des Trident-Prozesses bezüglich eines weiten Bereichs an Eigenschaften der verwendeten Lichtquelle. Jedoch ist der nicht-lineare Trident-Prozess wegen seiner anspruchsvollen mathematischen Natur bisher nicht als völlig verstanden anzusehen. In der vorliegen- den Arbeit liegt der Fokus auf der Abhängigkeit des Trident-Prozesses von den kurzen zeitlichen Strukturen der verwendeten Lichtquellen bei hohen Energien. Grob gesprochen bedeutet dies, dass die kurz gepulsten Strukturen der modernen Lichtquellen zu breiten Spektren der Photonstrahlen führen, welche sich dann auch in den betrachteten Prozessen widerspiegeln. Demfolgend wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit eine neue Approximation an die Starkfeld-Quantenelektrodynamik erarbeitet, welche in der Lage ist, die spektralen Abhängigkeiten in den Prozessen zu beschreiben, die in Laser-Elektron-Kollisionen bei hohen Energien vorzufinden sind. Diese neue Approximation wird dann auf den Trident- Prozess angewendet und es werden die neuen Strukturen herausgearbeitet, welche durch das breite Spektrum der betrachteten Lichtquelle entstehen. Ferner werden bestehende oder geplante extreme Lichtquellen dahingehend untersucht, in welcher Weise diese, kombiniert mit einem passendem Elektronenstrahl, sensitiv für die vorgestellten spektralen Effekte im Trident-Prozess sind. Abschließend werden weitere mögliche Anwendungsbereiche der neuen Approximation diskutiert.:1 Introduction 1 2 Strong-field quantum electrodynamics 11 2.1 Description of the laser field 12 2.2 Background field approximation 18 2.3 Momentum space rules of strong-field QED 25 2.4 Ward identity and gauge invariance 34 2.5 Strong-field trident process 36 3 Pulsed-perturbative quantum electrodynamics 43 3.1 Approaches and approximations to strong-field QED 43 3.2 Momentum space rules in pulsed-perturbative QED 46 3.3 Spectrum of the background field 52 4 Pulsed-perturbative trident process 57 4.1 Matrixelement and cross section 57 4.2 Total cross section 72 4.3 Inclusive positron distributions 75 4.4 Exclusive electron distributions 81 4.5 Experimental capability 93 5 Summary and Outlook 97 Appendix 101 A Relativistic Kinematics 103 A.1 Preliminary remarks 103 A.2 Coordinate systems 104 A.3 Frames of reference 109 A.4 Kinematics of 2→3 processes 111 B Feynman rules of QED 121 C Perturbative trident pair production 125 C.1 Matrixelement and cross section 125 C.2 Numerical implementation and comparison to literature 129 C.3 Differential cross sections in transverse coordinates 132 C.4 Darkphotons 134 D Useful mathematical statements 139 Bibliography 153 / Modern laser facilities provide highly intense light with a very short temporal structure, which brings the phenomena originally found near the strong radiating stars in the universe into the laboratory. Accordingly, there are, among others, wide theoretical investigations w.r.t. scattering processes of particles impinging this extreme light sources. This has been done by applying the strong-field quantum electrodynamics, which is a theory of electromagnetic interactions within coherent highly intense light treated as a semi-classical background field. For instance, the treatment of the Compton process (inelastic electron- photon scattering) and the Breit-Wheeler process (pair production of a collision of two photons) with strong-field quantum electrodynamics revealed a vast amount of novel non-linear structures and phenomena, which were to some extent experimentally verified. Of particular interest and the central object of investigation within this thesis is also the trident process: a second order process in (strong-field) quantum electrodynamics producing an electron-positron pair within the collision of a photon beam (e.g. produced by a laser) with a counter-propagating electron. However, in the context of highly intense fields, the trident process is more than the product of its parts, the mentioned Compton and Breit-Wheeler process, since the intermediate photon yields both virtual and real contributions producing exceedingly complicated structures. Over the last years, there are several theoretical contributions to the non-linear treatment of the trident process w.r.t. a wide range of laser properties, but the trident process has not yet been fully understood due to its demanding mathematical nature. Within the present thesis, we focus on the dependence of the trident process to the short temporal structures of the involved light source at high energies. Loosely speaking, this means the short pulsed structure of modern light sources provide a wide energy spectrum of the respective photons, which is imprinted on the considered scattering processes. Accordingly, we elaborate a new approximation to strong-field quantum electrodynamics capable to describe the spectral dependence of processes within laser-electron collisions at high energies. Then we apply this new approximation to the trident process and reveal the novel structures generated by the spectrum of the light source. Therefore, we provide an analysis of the spectral impact to the trident process involving the total cross section as well as several inclusive and exclusive distributions of its final particles. Consequently, we examine in principle the experimental capabilities of present or planed extreme light sources by combining them with a suitable electron beam, whether they are sensitive to the encountered spectral effects of the trident process and discuss further applications of the newly introduced approximation.:1 Introduction 1 2 Strong-field quantum electrodynamics 11 2.1 Description of the laser field 12 2.2 Background field approximation 18 2.3 Momentum space rules of strong-field QED 25 2.4 Ward identity and gauge invariance 34 2.5 Strong-field trident process 36 3 Pulsed-perturbative quantum electrodynamics 43 3.1 Approaches and approximations to strong-field QED 43 3.2 Momentum space rules in pulsed-perturbative QED 46 3.3 Spectrum of the background field 52 4 Pulsed-perturbative trident process 57 4.1 Matrixelement and cross section 57 4.2 Total cross section 72 4.3 Inclusive positron distributions 75 4.4 Exclusive electron distributions 81 4.5 Experimental capability 93 5 Summary and Outlook 97 Appendix 101 A Relativistic Kinematics 103 A.1 Preliminary remarks 103 A.2 Coordinate systems 104 A.3 Frames of reference 109 A.4 Kinematics of 2→3 processes 111 B Feynman rules of QED 121 C Perturbative trident pair production 125 C.1 Matrixelement and cross section 125 C.2 Numerical implementation and comparison to literature 129 C.3 Differential cross sections in transverse coordinates 132 C.4 Darkphotons 134 D Useful mathematical statements 139 Bibliography 153

Transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling is one of the most dominant fields of modern synthetic organic chemistry. Research is forever ongoing, in which there is constant expansion of the scope of nucleophilic- and electrophilic- coupling partners, and consequently the types of products that can be formed. More specifically, strong bond activation in cross-coupling is an emerging field that can enable late-stage functionalization; by activating inert functional groups that were untouched in earlier synthetic steps, they can be taken advantage of for further derivatization. This thesis will focus on the use of aggressive reagents in the activation of strong C–H and C–O bonds for their use in transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling. Chapter 1 will involve the use of organometallic superbases in the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of sp3-hybridized carbon-centered nucleophiles. Deprotonation and subsequent electrophilic quench can be considered the most classical form of C–H activation. While modern approaches frequently focus on radical mechanisms or directing groups as modes of C–H activation, stoichiometric metalation has been largely overlooked in the context of cross-coupling. By using aggressive organometallic superbases to deprotonate very weakly acidic C–H bonds, the resultant organometallic species can be taken advantage of as cross-coupling nucleophiles. This chapter will investigate the coupling of organolithiums and organozincs generated in situ in the C(sp3)–H arylation of an array of unactivated substrate classes. Chapter 2 will briefly investigate the use of aggressive alkyl metallic additives in the C–O activation of silyl enol ethers as Suzuki-Corriu cross-coupling electrophiles. Converting ketones to substituted olefins using cross-coupling is a common approach in medicinal chemistry for the synthesis of complex bioactive products. While reliable, this chemistry is generally very inefficient due to multi-step synthesis and the instability of activated intermediates. In contrast, applying modern nickel-catalyzed C–O activation to robust silyl enol ethers made in situ could alleviate these limitations. Using triethylborane as an additive, a nickel-catalyzed Suzuki-Corriu cross-coupling of silyl enol ethers was discovered. While ultimately unsuccessful, attempts were also made to optimize, explore the scope, and elucidate the mechanism of this reaction.

Dans cette thèse, nous avons étudié les propriétés photoniques et vibrationnelles de monocouches moléculaires auto-assemblées sur graphène et la possibilité d'utiliser des multicouches auto-assemblées de pérylène comme milieu à gain pour l'amplification de plasmons. Le graphène, en tant que matériau transparent et conducteur, a permis pour la première fois de corréler la géométrie du réseau de l’auto-assemblage supramoléculaire avec ses propriétés optiques, grâce à la microscopie à effet tunnel et à des mesures de spectroscopiques optiques et Raman. En comparant plusieurs colorants autoassemblés sur le graphène, nous avons mis en lumière les effets des interactions intermoléculaires et des interactions colorant-graphène sur le spectre d'absorption du colorant adsorbé. Le transfert d'énergie rapide des colorants vers la couche degraphène par les mécanismes de Förster et de Dexter empêche toute relaxation radiative du colorant..Néanmoins, nous avons démontré la première fonctionnalisation fluorescente non-covalente du graphène par une monocouche de colorants autoassemblée en mettant en place une stratégie à base d’espaceurs. Nous avons exploité l’extinction rapide de la fluorescence des colorants par le graphène pour étudier les spectres Raman des auto-assemblages moléculaires sur graphène, et nous avons révélé l'apparition d'un mode vibrationnel couplé entre les molécules adsorbées et le substrat de graphène. Nous avons démontré le régime de couplage fort entre un auto-assemblage tri-dimensionnel de pérylène et un plasmon polariton de surface en optimisant l'orientation et l'organisation des molécules de colorant par rapport au champ électrique du mode de plasmon. Nous avons prouvé que les milieux de gain auto-assemblés en agrégats-J peuvent théoriquement conduire à des milieux de gain efficaces pour l'amplification de plasmons. Cependant, nous avons révélé expérimentalement que les recombinaisons exciton-exciton limitent le taux de pompage à des fluences élevées dans ces milieux denses. / In this work, we have studied thephotonic and vibrational properties of selfassembled molecular monolayers on graphene and the possibility to use perylene self-assembled multilayers as a gain medium for plasmon amplification. Graphene, as a transparent and conductive material, has offered for the first time to correlate the self-assembly structure as deduced from scanning tunneling microscopy to photonic properties as analyzed by optical and Raman spectroscopy measurements. By comparing several self-assembled dyes on graphene we have shed lighton how intermolecular and dye-graphene interactions modify the absorption spectrum of the adsorbed dye.Fast Förster and Dexter energy transfer from the adsorbed dyes to the graphene layer prevent any radiative decay of the dye.Nevertheless, we have demonstrated the first fluorescent non-covalent functionalization of graphene by a supramolecular self-assembled monolayer using a spacer approach.We have exploited the fast dye fluorescence quenching by graphene to study Raman spectra of self-assembled dye on graphene, and we have shown the appearance of a coupled vibrational mode between the adsorbed molecules and the graphene substrate. We have demonstrated the strong couplingregime between a three-dimensional perylene self-assembly and a propagating plasmon polariton by optimizing the orientation and the organisation of the dye molecules compared to the electric field of the plasmon mode. We have shown that J-aggregated self-assembled gain media may theoretically lead to efficient gain media for plasmon amplification. However, we experimentally demonstrated that exciton-exciton recombination limits the achievable pumping rate at high fluences in such dense media.

The World Tourism Organization identifies improving linkages and opportunities in the tourism sector as a key area in the field of sustainable economic development. Swisscontact’s project Empodera aims at the improvement of well-being of indigenous women and youth via economic development. The main challenge of this project is seen in the weak entrepreneurial networks and lack of collaboration. This thesis is written as part Empodera and focuses on the linkages between the entrepreneurial indigenous women and the tourism sector in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala and the entrepreneurial opportunities for well-being improvement. The strong sustainability approach and the capability approach form the theoretical framework of this thesis. A social network analysis on all three levels of sustainable development is used to understand how the indigenous women are connected to the tourism activities in the area, to information and support and to natural capital. Two focus groups are conducted to identify entrepreneurial opportunities and well-being needs. The results show a weak formal social-economic network, the indigenous women are not involved in the tourism activities in Alta Verapaz. The women have a very strong social-ecological network and use natural resources for their entrepreneurial activities. The focus groups show that the women mostly need a richer social network, creativity, selfconfidence and organisation for both well-being improvement and entrepreneurial development. To enable the women to be entrepreneurial active, the focus should thus lie on developing these aspects rather than on official skill development.