Studies on Some Aspects of the Physics of the Early Universe Using Gravitationally Coupled Scalar Field –

This thesis deals with some aspects of the Physics of the early universe, like phase transitions, bubble nucleations and premodial density perturbations which lead to the formation structures in the universe. Quantum aspects of the gravitational interaction play an essential role in retical high-energy physics. The questions of the quantum gravity are naturally connected with early universe and Grand Unification Theories. In spite of numerous efforts, the various problems of quantum gravity remain still unsolved. In this condition, the consideration of different quantum gravity models is an inevitable stage to study the quantum aspects of gravitational interaction. The important role of gravitationally coupled scalar field in the physics of the early universe is discussed in this thesis. The study shows that the scalar-gravitational coupling and the scalar curvature did play a crucial role in determining the nature of phase transitions that took place in the early universe. The key idea in studying the formation structure in the universe is that of gravitational instability.

Studies on the dynamics and rheology of dilute suspensions of Brownian particles in simple shear flow under the action of an external force

We present a novel approach to computing the orientation moments and rheological properties of a dilute suspension of spheroids in a simple shear flow at arbitrary Peclct number based on a generalised Langevin equation method. This method differs from the diffusion equation method which is commonly used to model similar systems in that the actual equations of motion for the orientations of the individual particles are used in the computations, instead of a solution of the diffusion equation of the system. It also differs from the method of 'Brownian dynamics simulations' in that the equations used for the simulations are deterministic differential equations even in the presence of noise, and not stochastic differential equations as in Brownian dynamics simulations. One advantage of the present approach over the Fokker-Planck equation formalism is that it employs a common strategy that can be applied across a wide range of shear and diffusion parameters. Also, since deterministic differential equations are easier to simulate than stochastic differential equations, the Langevin equation method presented in this work is more efficient and less computationally intensive than Brownian dynamics simulations.We derive the Langevin equations governing the orientations of the particles in the suspension and evolve a procedure for obtaining the equation of motion for any orientation moment. A computational technique is described for simulating the orientation moments dynamically from a set of time-averaged Langevin equations, which can be used to obtain the moments when the governing equations are harder to solve analytically. The results obtained using this method are in good agreement with those available in the literature.The above computational method is also used to investigate the effect of rotational Brownian motion on the rheology of the suspension under the action of an external force field. The force field is assumed to be either constant or periodic. In the case of con- I stant external fields earlier results in the literature are reproduced, while for the case of periodic forcing certain parametric regimes corresponding to weak Brownian diffusion are identified where the rheological parameters evolve chaotically and settle onto a low dimensional attractor. The response of the system to variations in the magnitude and orientation of the force field and strength of diffusion is also analyzed through numerical experiments. It is also demonstrated that the aperiodic behaviour exhibited by the system could not have been picked up by the diffusion equation approach as presently used in the literature.The main contributions of this work include the preparation of the basic framework for applying the Langevin method to standard flow problems, quantification of rotary Brownian effects by using the new method, the paired-moment scheme for computing the moments and its use in solving an otherwise intractable problem especially in the limit of small Brownian motion where the problem becomes singular, and a demonstration of how systems governed by a Fokker-Planck equation can be explored for possible chaotic behaviour.

Studies on Pseudoscalar Meson Bound States and Semileptonic Decays in a Relativistic Potential Model

In this thesis quark-antiquark bound states are considered using a relativistic two-body equation for Dirac particles. The mass spectrum of mesons includes bound states involving two heavy quarks or one heavy and one light quark. In order to analyse these states within a unified formalism, it is desirable to have a two-fermion equation that limits to one body Dirac equation with a static interaction for the light quark when the other particle's mass tends to infinity. A suitable two-body equation has been developed by Mandelzweig and Wallace. This equation is solved in momentum space and is used to describe the complete spectrum of mesons. The potential used in this work contains a short range one-gluon exchange interaction and a long range linear confining and constant potential terms. This model is used to investigate the decay processes of heavy mesons. Semileptonic decays are more tractable since there is no final state interactions between the leptons and hadrons that would otherwise complicate the situation. Studies on B and D meson decays are helpful to understand the nonperturbative strong interactions of heavy mesons, which in turn is useful to extract the details of weak interaction process. Calculation of form factors of these semileptonic decays of pseudo scalar mesons are also presented.

Effect of silver nano particles on the fluorescence quantum yield of Rhodamine 6G determined using dual beam thermal lens method

Nano structured noble metals have very important applications in diverse fields as photovoltaics, catalysis, electronic and magnetic devices, etc. Here, we report the application of dual beam thermal lens technique for the determination of the effect of silver sol on the absolute fluorescence quantum yield (FQY) of the laser dye rhodamine 6G. A 532 nm radiation from a diode pumped solid state laser was used as the excitation source. It has been observed that the presence of silver sol decreases the fluorescence quantum efficiency. This is expected to have a very important consequence in enhancing Raman scattering which is an important spectrochemical tool that provides information on molecular structures. We have also observed that the presence of silver sol can enhance the thermal lens signal which makes the detection of the signal easier at any concentration.

Influence of Angle of Air Injection and Particles in Bed Hydrodynamics of Swirling Fluidized Bed

The thesis presented here unveils an experimental study of the hydrodynamic characteristics of swirling fluidized bed viz. pressure drop across the distributor and the bed, minimum fluidizing velocity, bed behaviour and angle of air injection. In swirling fluidized bed the air is admitted to the bed at an angle 'Ѳ' to the horizontal. The vertical component of the velocity v sin Ѳ causes fluidization and the horizontal component v cos Ѳ contributes to swirl motion of the bed material.The study was conducted using spherical particles having sizes 3.2 mm, 5.5 mm & 7.4 mm as the bed materials. Each of these particles was made from high density polyethylene, nylon and acetal having relative densities of 0.93, 1.05 and 1.47 respectively.The experiments were conducted using conidour type distributors having four rows of slits. Altogether four distributors having angles of air injection (Φ)- 0°, 5°, 10° & 15° were designed and fabricated for the study. The total number of slits in each distributor was 144. The area of opening was 6220 mm2 making the percentage area of opening to 9.17. But the percentage useful area of opening of the distributor was 96.The experiments on the variation of distributor pressure drop with superficial velocity revealed that the distributor pressure drop decreases with angle of air injection. Investigations related to bed hydrodynamics were conducted using 2.5 kg of bed material. The bed pressure drop measurements were made along the radial direction of the distributor at distances of 60 mm, 90 mm, 120 mm & 150 mm from the centre of the distributor. It was noticed that after attaining minimum fluidizing velocity, the bed pressure drop increases along the radial direction of the distributor. But at a radial distance of 90 mm from the distributor centre, after attaining minimum fluidizing velocity the bed pressure drop remains almost constant. It was also observed that the bed pressure drop varies inversely with particle size as well as particle density.An attempt was made to determine the effect of various parameters on minimum fluidizing velocity. It was noticed that the minimum fluidizing velocity varies directly with angle of air injection (Φ), particle size and particle density.The study on the bed behaviour showed that the superficial velocity required for initiating various bed phenomena (such as swirl motion and separation of particles from the cone at the centre) increase with increase in particle size as well as particle density. It was also observed that the particle size and particle density directly influence the superficial velocity required for various regimes of bed behaviour such as linear variation of bed pressure drop, constant bed pressure drop and sudden increase or decrease in bed pressure drop.Experiments were also performed to study the effect of angle of air injection (Φ). It was noticed that the bed pressure drop decreases with angle of air injection. It was also noticed that the angle of air injection directly influence the superficial velocity required for initiating various bed phenomena as well as the various regimes of bed behaviour.

Development of a new type of simulated scalar feed

This thesis presents the results of an investigation conducted for the development of a new type of feed horn antenna called "Simulated Scalar Feed". A schematic presentation of the work is given below. A review of the past important work done in the field of conventional/multimode electromagnetic horn antennas is presented in the first part of the second chapter. The work carried out on corrugated horns and surfaces are included in the second part of the review. In the third part, work on dielectric and dielectric loaded metal horns are reviewed. In all the parts of the review, special emphasis is given to theoretical design considerations. The methodology adopted for the experimental investigations is presented in the third chapter. The instrumentation utilized and thThis thesis presents the results of an investigation conducted for the development of a new type of feed horn antenna called "Simulated Scalar Feed". A schematic presentation of the work is given below. A review of the past important work done in the field of conventional/multimode electromagnetic horn antennas is presented in the first part of the second chapter. The work carried out on corrugated horns and surfaces are included in the second part of the review. In the third part, work on dielectric and dielectric loaded metal horns are reviewed. In all the parts of the review, special emphasis is given to theoretical design considerations. The methodology adopted for the experimental investigations is presented in the third chapter. The instrumentation utilized and the details of fabrication ofe details of fabrication of the new simulated scalar feed are described. The method of measurements of radiation characteristics of the antenna are also explained in this chapter. In the fourth chapter the outcome of the experimental results of the investigations carried out on horn antennas fabricated with different physical dimensions and different parameters for the E—plane boundary walls are highlighted. The theoretical explanation used to explain the experimental results is given in the fifth chapter of the thesis. A comparison between the experimental and the theoretical results is also presented in this chapter. In chapter six, the conclusions drawn from the experimental as well as the theoretical investigations are discussed. The advantages and features of the newly developed simulated scalar feed is examined in this chapter. Scope of further investigations in this field is also discussed at the end of this chapter.

Immobilization of nitrifying bacterial consortia on wood particles for bioaugmenting nitrification in shrimp culture systems

Shrimp grow out systems under zero water exchange mode demand constant remediation of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) andNO2 −–Nto protect the crop. To address this issue, aninexpensive and user-friendly technology using immobilized nitrifying bacterial consortia (NBC) as bioaugmentors has been developed and proposed for adoption in shrimp culture systems. Indigenous NBC stored at 4 °C were activated at room temperature (28 °C) and cultured in a 2 L bench top fermentor. The consortia, after enumeration by epifluorescence microscopy,were immobilized on delignifiedwood particles of a soft wood tree Ailantus altissima (300–1500 μm) having a surface area of 1.87m2 g−1. Selection of wood particle as substratumwas based on adsorption of NBC on to the particles, biofilm formation, and their subsequent nitrification potential. The immobilization could be achievedwithin 72 h with an initial cell density of 1×105 cells mL−1. On experimenting with the lowest dosage of 0.2 g (wet weight) immobilized NBC in 20 L seawater, a TAN removal rate of 2.4 mg L−1 within three days was observed. An NBC immobilization device could be developed for on site generation of the bioaugmentor preparation as per requirement. The product of immobilization never exhibited lag phase when transferred to fresh medium. The extent of nitrification in a simulated systemwas two times the rate observed in the control systems suggesting the efficacy in real life situations. The products of nitrification in all experiments were undetectable due to denitrifying potency, whichmade the NBC an ideal option for biological nitrogen removal. The immobilized NBC thus generated has been named TANOX (Total Ammonia Nitrogen Oxidizer)

Squeezed Coherent State Representation of Scalar Field and Particle Production in the Early Universe

The present work is an attempt to explain particle production in the early univese. We argue that nonzero values of the stress-energy tensor evaluated in squeezed vacuum state can be due to particle production and this supports the concept of particle production from zero-point quantum fluctuations. In the present calculation we use the squeezed coherent state introduced by Fan and Xiao [7]. The vacuum expectation values of stressenergy tensor defined prior to any dynamics in the background gravitational field give all information about particle production. Squeezing of the vacuum is achieved by means of the background gravitational field, which plays the role of a parametric amplifier [8]. The present calculation shows that the vacuum expectation value of the energy density and pressure contain terms in addition to the classical zero-point energy terms. The calculation of the particle production probability shows that the probability increases as the squeezing parameter increases, reaches a maximum value, and then decreases.

Squeezed Coherent State Representation of Scalar Field and Particle Production in the Early Universe

The present work is an attempt to explain particle production in the early univese. We argue that nonzero values of the stress-energy tensor evaluated in squeezed vacuum state can be due to particle production and this supports the concept of particle production from zero-point quantum fluctuations. In the present calculation we use the squeezed coherent state introduced by Fan and Xiao [7]. The vacuum expectation values of stressenergy tensor defined prior to any dynamics in the background gravitational field give all information about particle production. Squeezing of the vacuum is achieved by means of the background gravitational field, which plays the role of a parametric amplifier [8]. The present calculation shows that the vacuum expectation value of the energy density and pressure contain terms in addition to the classical zero-point energy terms. The calculation of the particle production probability shows that the probability increases as the squeezing parameter increases, reaches a maximum value, and then decreases.

Structural, magnetic and electrical properties of the sol-gel prepared Li0.5Fe2.5O4 fine particles

Fine particles of lithium ferrite were synthesized by the sol-gel method. By subsequent heat treatment at different temperatures, lithium ferrites of different grain sizes were prepared. A structural characterization of all the samples was conducted by the x-ray diffraction technique. A grain size of around 12 nm was observed for Li0.5Fe2.5O4 obtained through the sol-gel method. Magnetic properties of lithium ferrite nanoparticles with grain size ranging from 12 to 32 nm were studied. Magnetization measurements showed that Li0.5Fe2.5O4 fine particles exhibit a deviation from the predicted magnetic behaviour. The as-prepared sample of lithium ferrite showed a maximum saturation magnetization of 75 emu g−1. Variation of coercivity is attributed to the transition from multi-domain to single domain nature. Dielectric permittivity and ac conductivity of all the samples were evaluated as a function of frequency, temperature and grain size. Variation of permittivity and ac conductivity with frequency reveals that the dispersion is due to the Maxwell–Wagner type interfacial polarization

Formation of carbon-encapsulated metallic nano-particles from metal acetylides by electron beam irradiation

Transition metal acetylides, MC2 (M=Fe, Co and Ni), exhibit ferromagnetic behavior of which TC is characteristic of their size and structure. CoC2 synthesized in anhydrous condition exhibited cubic structure with disordered C2− 2 orientation. Once being exposed to water (or air), the particles behave ferromagnetically due to the lengthening of the Co–Co distance by the coordination of water molecules to Co2+ cations. Heating of these particles induces segregation of metallic cores with carbon mantles. Electron beam or 193 nm laser beam can produce nanoparticles with metallic cores covered with carbon mantles

Studies on scattering and thermodynamics of black holes in f(R) theory and Einstein's theory

One of the interesting consequences of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity is the black hole solutions. Until the observation made by Hawking in 1970s, it was believed that black holes are perfectly black. The General Theory of Relativity says that black holes are objects which absorb both matter and radiation crossing the event horizon. The event horizon is a surface through which even light is not able to escape. It acts as a one sided membrane that allows the passage of particles only in one direction i.e. towards the center of black holes. All the particles that are absorbed by black hole increases the mass of the black hole and thus the size of event horizon also increases. Hawking showed in 1970s that when applying quantum mechanical laws to black holes they are not perfectly black but they can emit radiation. Thus the black hole can have temperature known as Hawking temperature. In the thesis we have studied some aspects of black holes in f(R) theory of gravity and Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. The scattering of scalar field in this background space time studied in the first chapter shows that the extended black hole will scatter scalar waves and have a scattering cross section and applying tunneling mechanism we have obtained the Hawking temperature of this black hole. In the following chapter we have investigated the quasinormal properties of the extended black hole. We have studied the electromagnetic and scalar perturbations in this space-time and find that the black hole frequencies are complex and show exponential damping indicating the black hole is stable against the perturbations. In the present study we show that not only the black holes exist in modified gravities but also they have similar properties of black hole space times in General Theory of Relativity. 2 + 1 black holes or three dimensional black holes are simplified examples of more complicated four dimensional black holes. Thus these models of black holes are known as toy models of black holes in four dimensional black holes in General theory of Relativity. We have studied some properties of these types of black holes in Einstein model (General Theory of Relativity). A three dimensional black hole known as MSW is taken for our study. The thermodynamics and spectroscopy of MSW black hole are studied and obtained the area spectrum which is equispaced and different thermo dynamical properties are studied. The Dirac perturbation of this three dimensional black hole is studied and the resulting quasinormal spectrum of this three dimensional black hole is obtained. The different quasinormal frequencies are tabulated in tables and these values show an exponential damping of oscillations indicating the black hole is stable against the mass less Dirac perturbation. In General Theory of Relativity almost all solutions contain singularities. The cosmological solution and different black hole solutions of Einstein's field equation contain singularities. The regular black hole solutions are those which are solutions of Einstein's equation and have no singularity at the origin. These solutions possess event horizon but have no central singularity. Such a solution was first put forward by Bardeen. Hayward proposed a similar regular black hole solution. We have studied the thermodynamics and spectroscopy of Hay-ward regular black holes. We have also obtained the different thermodynamic properties and the area spectrum. The area spectrum is a function of the horizon radius. The entropy-heat capacity curve has a discontinuity at some value of entropy showing a phase transition.