Physics thesis and dissertation collection
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Recent Submissions
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Planet formation and the early evolution of self-gravitating protoplanetary discs
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-01-20)When a Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) collapses to form a stellar core, conservation of angular momentum will lead to the formation of a protoplanetary disc, with an initial mass potentially of the order of its stellar host. ... -
Chaos, statistics and inverse cascades in turbulent flows
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-01-18)Describing turbulence has been one of the most important unsolved problems of physics for the last two centuries. Multiple attempts have been made and yet there is no successful theory of turbulence to date. The most ... -
X-ray thermal diffuse scattering at high pressure
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-01-17)In single-crystal diffraction images, thermal diffuse scattering (TDS) produces a highly structured background, which contains a wealth of information about the lattice dynamics of the system. Synchrotron facilities with ... -
Formation of globular clusters in a cosmological context
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-01-12)Globular Clusters (GCs) are among the oldest gravitationally bound stellar systems, as they are characterised by stellar populations with ages of 11.5 to 12.5 Gyr. They probably formed during, or just after, the epoch of ... -
Bayesian computation in astronomy: novel methods for parallel and gradient-free inference
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-01-11)The goal of this thesis is twofold; introduce the fundamentals of Bayesian inference and computation focusing on astronomical and cosmological applications, and present recent advances in probabilistic computational methods ... -
QCD scattering amplitudes in the high-energy limit
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-01-11)In perturbative quantum field theory, logarithmic divergences generically occur whenever there is a large disparity between physical scales. In this thesis we are interested in the so-called high-energy logarithms, L, ... -
Towards lattice simulations of scalar holographic cosmological models
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-01-10)Over the past decades, inflation has been the leading paradigm for describing the initial conditions of Big Bang cosmology. It provides an account of our spatially flat universe, and gives excellent agreement with the ... -
Measurement of $\Delta \Gamma_s$ using the $B^0_s$ decays to the final states $J/\psi \eta^{\prime}$ and $J/\psi f_0$}
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-01-09)The main research field of the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment at Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the study of CP violation and rare decays of beauty and charm hadrons. Measurement of the B⁰ₛ mixing parameters ... -
Tidal disruption events: what, where, when and why?
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-12-08)A tidal disruption event (TDE) occurs when a star crosses the tidal radius of a nearby supermassive black hole (SMBH) and is subsequently torn apart. The fall-back of the stellar debris onto the black hole produces a ... -
Studies of condensed matter excitations in bicollinear magnetic materials and disordered perovskites using inelastic neutron scattering techniques
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-11-29)Neutron scattering is an important research technique that has furnished a wealth of information about condensed matter systems ever since Ernest O. Wollan and Clifford G. Shull first demonstrated its ability to probe ... -
Giant exoplanets and brown dwarfs: exploring the atmospheric retrieval method via direct imaging spectroscopy
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-11-29)The retrieval method, also known as the inverse method, has become a fundamental analysis technique for modelling and understanding exoplanetary atmospheres. In their simplest form, retrieval approaches aim to obtain the ... -
Rheology of granular-colloidal gel composite suspensions
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-11-28)Granular-colloidal gel composite suspensions composed of a mixture of large repulsive particles (LRPs) and small attractive particles (SAPs) are encountered in a variety of industrial applications such as the manufacturing ... -
Observation of excited Ω⁰꜀ states, and commissioning of the RICH detector
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-10-19)The first observation of the Ω⁻b → Ξ⁺꜀ K⁻π⁻ decay is reported using pp collision data at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb⁻¹. ... -
Complex formulations drying on complex substrates
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-10-11)Prediction and control over particle deposit patterns obtained from sessile droplet evaporation are essential for many industrial practices such as printing, forensics and crop-care. For the latter, and particularly in ... -
Neutron-diffraction of hydrogen-rich molecules under high pressure
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-09-22)A proton and an electron form the lightest element of the periodic table: Hydrogen. Despite the simplicity of this element and an ongoing research interest, surprisingly little is known about its solid phases and ... -
Enzymology in perchlorate rich, multi-extreme environments
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-09-02)The potential for life on Mars is one of the most interesting and yet elusive questions in modern science. The surface of Mars holds little prospect for biology due to the large daily temperature ranges, ionizing ... -
Multi–scale study of chromatin organisation and function: DNA topology, epigenetics and chromatin compaction
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-08-19)Understanding chromatin organisation at different length scales is still one of the most puzzling challenges in biophysics. Nowadays, it is clear that DNA or chromatin conformational changes can profoundly affect gene ... -
Structural investigations of elemental metals at multi-megabar pressures using toroidal diamond anvil cells
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-06-30)Research at high pressures has revealed that the elemental metals, most of which have simple crystal structures at ambient conditions such as face-centred cubic, body-centred cubic, or hexagonal close-packed, transition ... -
Microbial responses to multiple extreme environments
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-06-30)Microorganisms are the most ancient, abundant and diverse form of life on Earth. Their ability to tolerate a variety of stresses has enabled microbial colonisation of extreme environments, including hot springs, soda lakes ... -
Detection and characterisation of young planetary-mass objects: novel techniques and optimised survey strategies
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-06-29)Young, low-mass brown dwarfs can be similar in size and composition to young, giant exoplanets. Many exist without host stars and are uncontaminated by starlight, making them useful analogues for studying planets in solar ...
