Averaged dynamics of the advection-diffusion equation and applications to ocean flows.
Year of Dissertation:
2012
This dissertation presents some aspects of an advection-diffusion
STRUCTURAL AND DYNAMICAL FEATURES OF PROTEIN P7 FROM BACTERIOPHAGE 12: INSIGHTS INTO A FUNCTIONAL ROLE IN THE CYSTOVIRAL POLYMERASE COMPLEX
Year of Dissertation:
2010
Cystoviruses are a class of enveloped double-stranded RNA viruses that use a multi-
Variable Pressure and Temperature NMR Studies of Fuel Cell Polymer Electrolyte Membranes
Year of Dissertation:
2010
It was not until the latter half of the 20th century, with the technological developments associated with the space race, that the technical feasibility of the fuel cell was demonstrated. Various fuel cell technologies have emerged in this time period of which Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are of particular interest due to their lower operating temperatures, as compared with other types of fuel cells. Thus, they are ideal for applications such as small portable electronics and transportation. However, there are several challenges facing PEMFC`s such as the development of efficient and durable proton exchange membranes (PEMs).
Discrimination and Identification of Quantum States
Year of Dissertation:
2010
Determining the state of a quantum system is an essential step in quantum information processing. While the case of N=2 arbitrary states is well known the extension to N>2 is highly non-trivial.
Mathematical and Physical Analysis of Pricing Models for Structured Financial Securities
Year of Dissertation:
2012
In this thesis, we present an extension of the one-factor Gaussian copula model for pricing collateralized debt obligations (CDOs): Instead of using flat default correlation and rate parameters across the whole portfolio, we use individual correlation coefficients between each reference entity and the market (S&P 500 index) based on 5-year daily stock prices, and we use specific rate parameter for each entity by curve-fitting the default probability term structure. Spreads from this improved model are compared to those obtained from the one-factor Gaussian copula model with flat correlation. Results show that uniform correlation and rate parameters fail to capture that a few or even one single asset can substantially impact the credit quality of the whole portfolio. Heterogeneity of correlations and rate parameters of different reference entities is indispensable for constructing reliable and realistic models for pricing synthetic CDOs.
INVESTIGATION OF NANOSTRUCTURED ELECTROCATALYSTS AND MASS TRANSPORT PHENOMENA IN POLYMER ELECTROLYTE FUEL CELLS
Year of Dissertation:
2010
Abstract
Resonant Photonic Structures for Control of Light-Matter Interaction in Semiconductor Nanostructures
Year of Dissertation:
2012
In this thesis, the control of light-matter interaction in semiconductor nanostructures was investigated using resonant photonic structures. This study is categorized in two parts: collective phenomena of quantum confined excitons, and quantum dots in microcavity structures.
THEORY OF BCS-BEC CROSSOVER IN ULTRACOLD ATOMIC GASES
Year of Dissertation:
2012
In ultracold atomic fermions, the sign and the magnitude of pairing interactions can be controlled by using the magnetically-tuned Feshbach resonances to achieve a continuos transition between Cooper pairs of dilute fermi gas to BEC of diatomic molecules, which is known as the "BCS-BEC crossover". At present, although several models have been proposed, there is still no exact analytical solution of the many-body problem of BCS-BEC crossover region. The standard BCS mean field theory of superconductivity was used [1-3] to describe the whole crossover resulting a useful approximation. In our studies, we investigated solvable models for the best variational analytical solution for BCS-BEC crossover at T= 0.
Photonic Structures Based on Hybrid Nanocomposites
Year of Dissertation:
2011
In this thesis, photonic structures embedded with two types of nanomaterials, (i) quantum dots and (ii) metal nanoparticles are studied. Both of these exhibit optical and electronic properties different from their bulk counterpart due to their nanoscale physical structure. By integrating these nanomaterials into photonic structures, in which the electromagnetic field can be confined and controlled via modification of geometry and composition, we can enhance their linear and nonlinear optical properties to realize functional photonic structures.
Quantum Physics of Molecular Magnets
Year of Dissertation:
2010
Advisor:
Eugene Chudnovsky
In this thesis we focus on various aspects of quantum physics in molecular magnets, in particular, in Mn12-acetate. This thesis is divided into three parts.