The Bullet Cluster is a galaxy cluster, which is often used as evidence for dark matter [10]. In this thesis, Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) is studied for various interpolation functions on a model of the Bullet Cluster. MOND is a theory proposed by Milgrom which modifies the Newtonian gravity law, such that it explains the flat rotation curves observed in all the galaxies and galaxy clusters [13]. It is an alternative theory to the dark matter model and in this thesis, the results of MOND are compared to results from the paper of Paraficz et al which have studied the Bullet Cluster with the dark matter model [15]. In MOND, the Newtonian gravity law is changed at low accelerations, for a around and below the value of 1.2 · 10-10  m/s2 , which is introduced as a constant a0 by Milgrom. Accelerations much smaller than a0 are in the deep MOND regime and should satisfy certain conditions. Combining the low acceleration regime (a ≪ a0) and the Newton regime (a ≫ a0), an interpolation function is needed. The following interpolation functions are studied: the standard interpolation function, the Verlinde interpolation function and the Angus interpolation function. First the Newtonian gravitational potential ΦN is introduced which can be calculated for a certain mass distribution ρ using the Poisson equation. Also the acceleration field can be obtained from ΦN . It could be seen that in the model used in this thesis for the Bullet Cluster, the strength of the acceleration field a is mostly below a0, but not much. Similarly the MOND potential ΦM can also be calculated for ρ with the MOND equations, which are different equations for each interpolation function. The MOND equations are non-linear and can not be solved analytically in most cases. Thus a numerical iterative method is introduced to solve the MOND equations and to obtain ΦM . After obtaining ΦM for each interpolation function, the acceleration field f can also be calculated. We found that ΦM is steeper than ΦN for all interpolation functions. Also the acceleration field f is larger than a, and f is mostly above a0 in the model of the Bullet Cluster used in this thesis. By substituting ΦM in the Poisson equation, another mass distribution could be obtained: apparent matter. This would be the matter distribution needed to give the acceleration field f using the Newtonian gravity law. From this matter distribution, the apparent dark matter could be obtained. We can compare this apparent dark matter distribution with the dark matter model found in the paper in Paraficz et al. Also the apparent matter distribution can be compared to the image of the Bullet Cluster. For both apparent dark matter and apparent matter, the MOND model is not in agreement with the dark matter model and the observation respectively. In general, the dark matter did not spatially coincide with the galaxies. By increasing the number of galaxies or increasing the mass of the galaxies, dark matter distributions that spatially coincide with the galaxies can be obtained

In this thesis the behaviour of a Bose Einstein condensate is explored that consists of bosons that annihilate. In order to do this a system where bose einstein condensation occurs is modeled as a Zero Range process which is a special case of a Markov process. First we made a single slow site Zero range process with uniform rates and see how this would be influenced by annihilating particles. For this system it is shown that, in the large system limit, the number of particles in the slow site is given by a differential equation. A series of realization of different sizes of this system are done to support that the fraction of the particles in the ground state converges to the differential equation. In order to relate this mathematical approach to physical Bose Einstein condensates it is established that the equilibrium distributions of multiple bosons in one system is the same as the detailed balance of a zero range process where the transition rates depend on the occupation of a site, with an indication function, that is equal to 0 when there are no particles at that site and some constant 𝑐 if there is one or more particles at that site. In statistical physics we need to take the energy of the state of the system into account. If the particles do not have interaction with each other this is the sum over all particles of the energy of the particle site. As a zero range model only has rates with one particle hop we can see that the difference in energy of the system is equal to the difference in energy of the sites of hop. In order to stay in detailed balance the rate for the specific hop must be exp(BΔ𝐸) times the opposite rate, where B = 1 / 𝑘_b 𝑇. Now we can go from any system with a set of spin orbitals and energies of those spin orbitals and design a zero range model where the spin orbitals correspond to sites of the zero range model with rates between those sites, such that the systems detailed balance distribution is the same distribution as the equilibrium of the physical system. In this zero range model an annihilation term is introduced. This can be any function of occupation for the site, but in this report a simple relation that decreases when Δ𝐸 increases is used. In order to see the effect on such systems the system is numerically approached for a 100 particles system in a 3 dimensional harmonic potential. This system is too complicated to get an differential equation that can be easily solved. Therefore it is approximated. This numerical approximation appears to have similar behaviour to the numerical approximation done in [3]. However the results are not identical. The advantage of the model in this thesis is that an annihilation therm can be implemented. This approximation of a 3 dimensional harmonic oscillator with annihilating particles is done. If annihilation is slow enough, the exited sites form a different equilibrium compared to a Bose Einstein condensate of non annihilating particles. This happens as long as there is a condensate in the ground state.

In this thesis Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) is explored in galaxy clusters similar to the Virgo cluster. MOND is a theory proposed to explain the flat rotation curves of galaxies and the velocities of galaxies within galaxy clusters, as an alternative to the Dark Matter (DM) model. MOND states that Newton’s law of gravitation is incorrect at accelerations of the order of and smaller than Milgrom’s constant a_0 = 1.2 · 10^−10m/s^2 [1].  The MOND potential φ_M created by a certain mass distribution ρ satisfies the MOND equation, a non-linear partial differential equation. For accelerations much smaller than a0 this equation gives a quadratic relation between the gradient of the potential (∇φ_M) and the mass distribution ρ, this is called deep MOND. This is much different from the Poisson equation, that infers a linear relation between ∇φ_M and the mass sources, and which still holds for accelerations much larger than a_0 [1], referred to as Newtonian Dynamics (ND). For accelerations around a0 an interpolation of deep MOND and ND is used. It appears that the potential and acceleration in Virgo-like clusters is according to ND at the center, and approaches deep MOND at the edge. Therefore an interpolation function µ is necessary to model such clusters accurately. When the MOND potential φ_M is substituted into the Poisson equation, a new mass distribution is found, the apparent mass distribution ρ_AM, which would need to match the actual mass distribution in DM models, which use the Poisson equation. This apparent mass distribution ρ_AM is the sum of the actual mass distribution ρ extracted from optical observations and the apparent dark mass distribution ρ_ADM, a distribution that is interpreted as a theoretical DM halo. This allows us to compare MOND and DM. With our method, realistic mass configurations of galaxy clusters that are Virgo-like, generate apparent mass distributions ρ_AM with regions containing negative mass. The existence, shapes and locations of these regions are in agreement with what Milgrom found [2]. The total mass of the actual mass distribution is M = 10^15M_sun, while the sum of the negative mass is M_negative ≈ −0.09 · 10^15M_sun = −0.09M is approximately 9% of the total mass. Since negative mass is not acceptable, this gives us the opportunity to create conditions to falsify either the MOND model or the DM model. 

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are an emerging and promising photovoltaic technology that have demonstrated impressive power conversion efficiencies exceeding 25% after only fourteen years of development. This rapid progress can mostly be attributed to the development and optimisation of PSCs fabricated by solution-based methods, because of their easy processing and inexpensive equipment. However, to commercialise PSCs, alternative methods are required. Among these methods, the vacuum-based technique thermal evaporation is a suitable candidate. In thermal evaporation, solid precursors are evaporated and deposited onto a substrate in a high vacuum chamber. Thermal evaporation is a mature technique in the semiconductor industry to fabricate pinhole-free and highly uniform thin films at a large scale on different types of substrates. To date, the efficiency of PSCs by thermal evaporation is lagging behind their solution-based counterpart, partly due to limited research on vacuum deposited PVK films and several challenges unique to thermal evaporation. In this MSc thesis project, organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite absorbers based on thermally evaporated FAxCs1-xPb(IyBr1-y)3 and spin-coated MAPbI3 have been developed together with the additional supporting layers for device fabrication. Several PSCs with different p-i-n architectures have been fabricated and characterised. The device comprises of: ITO as front electrode, spiro-TTB, spiro-OMeTAD and/or MoOx as hole transport layer, PVK absorber layer, C60 as electron transport layer, BCP as buffer layer, and silver and aluminium as metallic back electrode. The goal of this work is to develop and optimise the structural and opto-electronic properties of different device layers and demonstrate a working perovskite solar cell. PVK engineering is carried out on both thermally evaporated and spin-coated PVK thin films with the aim at obtaining perovskite that possesses desirable opto-electronic properties. For FAxCs1-xPb(IyBr1-y )3 fabricated by sequential layer thermal evaporation, the uniformity and tooling factors were optimised to grow layers with a correct precursor ratio showing a high crystallinity and absorptance. No clear effect of post annealing could be detected for the temperatures and times tested in this work. Achieving the target thickness and obtaining a satisfactory reproducibility were not fully reached. For spin-coated MAPbI3, it was found that increasing the precursor solution concentration helped to achieve a desirable thickness for PSCs. Moreover, an adequate bandgap, diffractogram and absorptance were measured. However, based on the small crystal size determined with SEM, and poor device performance, further improvement is needed. Transport, contact, and buffer layers were successfully fabricated by developing new deposition recipes for silver, BCP, and spiro-TTB. Furthermore, spectrophotometry measurements show that thermally evaporated HTLs (MoOx and spiro-TTB) exhibit much lower parasitical absorption losses compared to spin-coated spiro-OMeTAD. An optical model to fit spectroscopic ellipsometry data measured on spiro-TTB thin films is created to determine its thickness and optical properties. Moreover, time resolved microwave conductivity results indicate that C60 effectively extracts electrons from MAPbI3. In contrast, spiro-TTB films did not appear to possess any hole extracting abilities. Strong quenching of the steady-state PL signal is observed for bi-layers of MAPbI3 with either C60, spiro-OMeTAD and MoOx . This quenching is possibly caused by extraction of either electrons or holes and/or enhanced non-radiative recombination at the interface. The optimised films were combined in complete PSCs with most layers fabricated by thermal evaporation through metal masks structuring cells with active areas of 0.16 and 0.36 cm2. Solar cells were characterised in the dark and under illumination using a solar simulator integrated with a glove box to prevent degradation. A wide range of J-V characteristics are identified and classified: (1) ohmic responses, possibly caused by poor quality PVK absorber layers with pinholes filled with thermally evaporated metal, (2) S-shaped curves under illumination, possibly caused by a mismatch in energy band alignment or increased non-radiative recombination at the MoOx/MAPbI3 interface, (3) diode behaviour in the dark, and (4) a high series resistance and low shunt resistance, possibly caused by low mobility, non-optimal thicknesses, internal currents, and a mismatches in band alignment. The most promising PSC featuring the ITO (200 nm)/Spiro-OMeTAD/MoOx (5 nm)/MAPbI3/C60 (20 nm)/BCP (4 nm)/Ag (150 nm) architecture, had a short circuit current of 10.0 mA/cm2 and an open circuit voltage of 0.67 V. The experiments carried out in this MSc thesis project supported the development of several steps of PSC fabrication process. This work contributes towards understanding thermal evaporation processes of perovskite films and fabricating fully evaporated devices with high efficiency and a large area.

Solar cells can play a key role in the transition towards a sustainable future. This transition is one of the major challenges our society faces during the coming decades. Development of high-efficiency photovoltaic solutions at reasonable costs will help accelerating the transformation of our energy system. In this respect, perovskite solar cells are very promising due to their outstanding opto-electronical properties and low-cost fabrication. Obtaining a complete understanding of the device physics and charge transfer mechanisms inside perovskites is crucial for further device improvements. This thesis focuses on the notorious hysteresis in the current-voltage characteristics of perovskite solar cells. So far, this remarkable phenomenon has usually been explained using ion migration, despite the lack of clear experimental evidence. We implement a simulation platform of perovskite solar cells to analyse the charge transfer mechanisms among energy states including those with energy within the forbidden bandgap. We evaluate transient behaviour and identify the limiting physical mechanisms. To explain anomalous hysteresis in perovskite solar cells we use a novel approach in which charge accumulates near the material interfaces due to defects with relatively low capture cross-sections. Defects in lead halide perovskites create shallow sub-gap energy states, that act as charge carrier traps. Near the interfaces, this leads to accumulation of trapped charge carriers, effectively screening the electric field inside the perovskite layer. This reduces the device performance. A slow release of trapped charge due to low capture cross-sections results in hysteresis in the current-voltage curve at commonly used scan rates. TCAD Sentaurus is used as a platform to simulate J-V scans of a planar non-inverted architecture based on the archetypal perovskite MAPbI3, with TiO2 as electron transport layer and spiro-OMeTAD as hole transport layer. This thesis presents a systematic study of different trap distributions, both in the spatial and energetic domain. The capture cross-sections, densities, energy levels and locations of traps are varied and also the effect of scan rate is analysed. This work analyses both tail state defects and deep defects, based on reported values in literature. It is found that defects near the ETL/perovskite interface potentially cause anomalous hysteresis in the current-voltage curve. These defects have their transition energy around 0.25 eV and are possibly attributed to iodine interstitials.

The need for more efficient, cheaper, easily producible solar cells is growing as this combination of attributes can decrease the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). A two­terminal (2T) Perovskite and galliuminidium­gallium­selenide (Pvk/CIGS) tandem cell is an excellent candidate, as it can have a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of +30%, can be flexible (making it suitable for roll­-to­-roll production), and the deposition of a Pvk solar cell (PSC) on top of established techniques like CIGS will only add one extra step to the production process, thereby improving the PCE significantly This thesis is part of LAFLEX­-2T project which aims to design and engineer a highly efficient flexible 2T thin­-film solar device based on the Pvk/CIGS tandem configuration. The aim of this thesis is to develop an opto­-electrical model of the tandem configuration which replicates the inner physics of a reference solar cell. This can be used to give insights on the current losses occurring in the cell and on the limitations in the charge carrier transport towards the electrodes. Based on this analysis, a route of improvements is proposed with could result in more efficient solar cells. The simulation template uses optical and electrical simulations based on GENPRO4 and TCAD Sentaurus, respectively. An extensive model for Pvk/CIGS tandem cells is presented and validated using experimentally obtained J­-V curve measurements. It was found that charge transport in the tunnel recombination junction (TRJ) depends on direct energy and in­direct energy transfer, in terms of two tunneling mechanisms: band to band tunneling (B2BT) and trap assisted tunneling (TAT). For TAT, a non­-local model facilitated by trap states is successfully implemented. Simulation results reveal that the transport in the TRJ of the reference solar cell is based on TAT. The loss analysis points out that reflectance losses are responsible for a loss of 10.92 mA/cm2. Similarly, losses due to parasitic absorption are equal to 5.32 mA/cm2. The CIGS bottom was identified as the current limiting layer. The dominant recombination mechanisms in the Pvk and CIGS absorber layers are Shockley-­Read­-Hall (SRH) and surface recombination calculated as 4.71 mA/cm2 and 1.59 mA/cm2 for top Pvk and bottom CIGS, respectively. An increase in losses in the absorber layers in maximum power point (MPP) compared to short circuit (SC) conditions exposed charge transport issues in the collecting path of charge carriers. After assessing the loss mechanisms, a road­map for efficiency improvements is proposed. After implementation, an increase in the PCE of the reference tandem cell was observed from 10.63% to 26.69%.

To make silicon thin film solar cells attractive to the market, their efficiencies should reach the efficiencies of the dominant crystalline silicon solar cell. Therefore the search for ways to improve the efficiency of silicon thin film solar cells continues. TCO front contact layers and back reflector layers play a significant role in the increase of thin film solar cell efficiencies. For the optical characterization of these TCO layers, commonly used methods are found to differ significantly in results regarding the extinction coefficient which makes their accuracy questionable. This research consists of two main parts. For the first part, the commonly used optical characterization methods spectroscopic ellipsometry and spectrophotometry + data analysis in SCOUT are analyzed in accuracy and compared to newly introduced methods using spectrophotometry + data analysis in GenPro4 and photothermal deflection spectroscopy + data analysis in GenPro4 to build a guide on optical characterization of TCO materials. For the second part, the optical response determined using the software GenPro4 of a double junction silicon thin film solar cell for a novel bi-layer front contact design consisting of IOH and i-ZnO will be compared to the optical response for standard used AZO, and ITO single layers to find the best front contact design. Furthermore, the optical response of a double junction silicon thin film solar cell for a back reflector containing an i-ZnO layer on top of the silver back contact will be compared to the optical response for a back reflector containing an AZO layer on top of the silver back contact to find the best back reflector design. From the results of the optical characterization methods, it is concluded that photothermal deflection spectroscopy + data analysis in GenPro4 is the most accurate method for determining the extinction coefficient of a TCO material. The results of the optical simulations for front contact TCO and back reflector TCO designs showed that the bi-layer can enhance the optical response of a double junction silicon thin film solar cell significantly compared to the AZO and ITO single layers. The i-ZnO TCO back reflector layer was found to induce less parasitic absorption and therefore a better optical response of the double junction silicon thin film solar cell.

Batteries play a vital role in the ongoing energy transition, driving the demand for safer, energy denser and higher performing energy storage solutions. This has propelled research of solid-state batteries. Halide electrolytes, with high ionic conductivities and high oxidation stabilities, have attracted tremendous interest. Currently, the main challenge is that most promising halide solid electrolytes are reliant on expensive and scarce metals, hindering their application at an industrial scale. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop cost-effective halide electrolytes. Zr-based electrolytes show great promise due to their cost-effectiveness (ZrCl4 = 12.5 USD/kg) and high abundance in the earth's crust (165 mg/kg). However, so far their conductivity have been unsatisfactory, falling below 1 mS/cm. Anion doping with elements like Cl, Br, I, and O has demonstrated to be effective in improving the conductivities of sulfide solid electrolyte. In this work, the O-doping effect is investigated in Zr-based halide solid electrolytes with Li2xZrCl4Ox. By using various analysis techniques such as X-ray diffraction, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry, this study explores the relationship between compositions, conductivities, and phases within the Li2xZrCl4Ox system. The findings reveal that, for each Zr-based oxyhalide composition, varying ball milling times result in different phases, with the most amorphous phase displaying the highest ionic conductivity. Specifically, for x = 1, Li2ZrCl4O reaches 1.60 mS/cm after 17.2 hours of ball milling, characterized by a structure featuring 61% amorphous content. Additionally, it demonstrates good performance as an all-solid-state battery with LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2/ Li2ZrCl4O/ Li6PS5Cl/Li-In, achieving an initial capacity of 125.6 mAh/g at 0.5C and retaining 67.47% capacity after 1000 cycles. Moreover, the impact of I-doping is further explored in Li3YCl3Br3-xIx, another cost-effective halide solid electrolyte (YCl3 = 330 USD/kg and 33 mg/kg). The Li3YCl3Br3-xIx electrolyte displays tunable conductivity and stability characteristics with an excellent conductivity of 3.55 mS/cm for x = 1 compared to 1.94 mS/cm for x = 0 but with a trade-off in oxidation potential of 3.474 V to 3.59 V. This study provides insights into novel cost-effective electrolytes and exhibits the potential of anion doping in enhancing and tuning both conductivity and stability. These electrolytes hold a serious potential as a solid electrolyte in solid-state batteries.

Advancements in energy storage technologies need to keep pace with the accelerating transition to renewable energy sources. Li metal anodes and high voltage cathode materials are widely considered to be the path into next generation Li-ion batteries, while the scare amounts of lithium in the earth's crust has prompted research into other battery materials. Of these, Sodium-ion batteries are extremely interesting due to the abundance of Na, similar insertion chemistry to Li as well as the possibility of using aqueous electrolytes due to higher redox potential. Next generation Li-ion batteries are currently held back due to issues like - dendrite formation at the metal anode which may lead to internal short circuiting and thermal runaway of the organic electrolyte. Similarly, Na-ion systems have issues with organic electrolytes due to the limited solubility of Na electrolyte salts. Solid state electrolytes (SSEs) have rapidly garnered interest as a potential alternative. SSEs vastly improve battery safety due to their superior thermal stability and mechanical strength. However, there are still limitations for SSEs in both these systems that need to be resolved prior to implementing these electrolytes in commercial batteries.In this study, alginate salts, which are natural polysaccarides extracted from brown algae, have been examined as a solution to the problems in these systems. Initially, sodium and lithium salts (NaAlg and LiAlg) of alginic acid were synthesized followed by their physical characterization. Conductivity for sodium and lithium alginate (with 0% water) were both promising at 0.2 mS/cm. Additionally, both LiAlg and NaAlg exhibit excellent performance as binders in anode systems compared to PVdF (polyvinylidene difluoride) binders.For utilizing the LiAlg in Li solid-state batteries, NaSICON-based LAGP electrolyte was synthesized and characterized for this study. The degradation of LAGP on Li contact has already been well researched. To combat the issue, we try to utilize a layer of LiAlg as protective layer at the LAGP surface. The coated LAGP remains stable against Li without undergoing degradation. The Li cyclability and electrochemical performance of LiAlg was further analysed by coating it on a various electrodes and studying their rate capabilities against Li. LiAlg displayed excellent performance as a secondary polymer electrolyte on the surface and in the bulk of the electrodes. These tests show exceptional cycling performances and establish a proof of concept for LiAlg as a polymer electrolyte.NaAlg which was chosen as the electrolyte in Na-ion batteries, displays better gelation properties. The effects of water content and operating temperature on Na conductivity were investigated. For a fixed water content, increasing the temperature results in improved conductivity - though this effect is more prominent at higher water concentrations and within the margin of error at lower water concentrations. At a fixed temperature, the conductivity shows linear improvement in at low (<25%) and high (>90%) water concentrations, while remaining constant between 25% and 90%. Additionally, the performance of NaAlg electrolytes (2w% NaAlg aq. solution) and GPE (20w% NaAlg Gel Polymer Electrolyte) was compared with the conventional Na2SO4 electrolyte. During these tests, the electrolyte underwent degradation possibly caused due to cross-linking induced by the dissolution of Mn2+ from the cathode on de-sodiation. Nevertheless, as a proof of concept, the NaAlg showed promise as an electrolyte (aq. and GPE) but further system optimization needs to be done to fully establish its scope as electrolytes for Na batteries.

This Bachelor thesis is on Covariant Emergent Gravity (CEG): a covariant formulation by Sabine Hossenfelder of the ideas of Erik Verlinde on gravity as an emergent force. In this work, the ideas of Erik Verlinde are presented as well as the field equations of CEG. The aim of this thesis is to find experimentally verifiable results for CEG. From the field equations we derive a general gravitational lensing formalism for CEG that is applicable to general lensing systems. This thesis also includes an attempt at an expanding universe model for a vacuum or matter dominated universe. Subsequently, a numerical algorithm is presented to solve for the non-linear differential equations in CEG and MOND in Newtonian regimes for general matter distributions using Fourier transformations. A faster version of this algorithm for cylindrical symmetric matter distributions using Fourier-Bessel transformations is also presented. This algorithm is tested on both the Sun and galaxy NGC6503. Next, the rotation curves as predicted by CEG and MOND of 132 galaxies are compared to the observed velocities using the SPARC data set. The velocities are fitted using three fit parameters and a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm. Both theories show good fits to the observed velocities. We conclude that no differences between the predictions of CEG and MOND can be made on the basis of rotation curves, but that covariant features (such as gravitational lensing) might be used to distinguish between the two theories. An important test for both theories can be provided by a comparison between strong lensing measurements and rotation curves for a single galaxies.

The rotational velocities of stars in galaxies indicate that either Newtonian gravity breaks down on this scale, or that there is extra mass in the universe that has not been observed. The former is known as Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND), whereas the latter option is known as the dark matter paradigm. In this thesis a version of MOND is considered where the field equation for gravity is modified and becomes nonlinear. To simulate MOND, new N-body codes are needed due to the field equation not being linear anymore and in this thesis a new particle mesh method is developed. This new particle mesh method follows the same steps as the normal particle mesh method, except at the step where the acceleration field on the grid is calculated. This step is replaced by an iterative method to find the MONDian acceleration field on the grid. The code was then tested in the deep MOND regime using four cases of which analytical solutions of the MOND Poisson equation are known. These cases are: linear motion, the two-body problem, a ring system and an isothermal sphere. Using these test cases, numerous conclusions were drawn. From the linear motion test it was found that in the code bodies can interact with themselves, resulting in non-physical accelerations. The two-body test showed that the magnitude of the relative error in the force as calculated by the particle mesh code is roughly on the same order as the same error when calculating the Newtonian force using a particle mesh code. Furthermore, all tests showed that energy is conserved quite well, even though momentum need not be conserved due to the self interactions, and that generally the conservation of angular momentum is violated by the code. The tests also showed that the analytical formulae that were derived for these systems gave largely the same predictions as the algorithm, hence verifying both the formulae as the algorithm. The code could be sped up by writing it in C, the accuracy can be improved by reducing self-interactions and it can be extended by adding a method to handle close encounters. Some applications of the code are given, including: simulating the solar system, wide binary stars, tidal dwarf galaxies and galaxy clusters.

Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) can account for a variety of phenomena on galactic scales without the need for dark matter, but it cannot fully explain the mass contained in galaxy clusters. We explore two possible solutions to this problem: relativistic extensions of MOND, and FEM simulations of the apparent matter distribution in clusters, utilising the non-linear AQUAL formulation to analyse non spherically symmetric systems. We consider Covariant Emergent Gravity, and we show that the theory is inconsistent with the original formulation of Emergent Gravity. Moreover, we show that either the theory is incompatible with observations, or it presents grave theoretical difficulties. We then suggest that a covariant formulation of EG can be obtained through a Generalised Einstein Aether (GEA) theory, which is capable of retrieving the MOND PDE, and is, at the same time, consistent with observational constraints. Regarding the FEM simulations of the apparent matter distribution in galaxy clusters, we construct a sample of 15 clusters from the catalogs of Reiprich and Abell for the baryonic mass distribution present in galaxy clusters. We choose FEM for its ability to treat the combination of continuous and discrete mass distributions without the need for smoothing. This is necessary, as in MOND we cannot apply the principle of superposition or the weak lensing formalism. We then utilise the FeniCS software package to study the properties of these clusters. We simulate each cluster with elements up to degree 3, thanks to a speedup by a factor of ∼ 100 obtained by the use of local mesh refinement for the serial case. In addition, we run the code in parallel on a single-threaded 8-core CPU, achieving near optimal weak scaling for the regime of interest. For the mass distribution in the galaxy clusters, we analyse the distribution of baryons, Phantom Dark Matter (PDM) and apparent mass both close to the core and around each galaxy. We find that the PDM tends to clump around the galaxies, regardless of the gas to galaxy mass ratio. Moreover, we show that both the apparent mass and the PDM can exhibit negative masses as predicted by Milgrom. Our observations on the density of PDM around the galaxies match recent observations of small scale weak lensing. In addition, our results for negative mass distributions provide an opportunity to test a prediction of MOND that can never be replicated in the dark-matter paradigm, and shed light on the properties of non-spherically symmetric mass distributions, that have, up to now, not been studied in the literature for the fully non-linear case.

A time of flight MIEZE spectrometer, which employs radio frequency spin flippers with square pole shoes and a magnetic yoke is presented. These flippers can achieve higher fields than conventional resonant RF flippers, which employ an air core. High fields are crucial for the construction of a high resolution and compact MIEZE spectrometer. Setups using conventional and novel flippers are constructed for comparison and a variety of experiments to characterize MIEZE instruments. Evidence is presented which indicates that high field flippers are capable of generating a 100kHz MIEZE signal comparable to that obtained with a conventional setup. Furthermore the need for a fast and thin detector is demonstrated. In addition the shape of the MIEZE focal spot is determined to be Gaussian. Finally the importance of stable timing for time of flight MIEZE is demonstrated. This research is relevant for the implementation of MIEZE on the Larmor instrument at ISIS pulsed neutron source in the UK.

Within the PVMD group at TU Delft, the study of perovskite/c-Si tandem solar cells is being researched. A comprehensive study is performed through advanced optical and electrical simulations to understand the tandem’s characteristics and operative behavior. We use GenPro4 and Sentaurus TCAD to perform the optical and electrical simulations, respectively. From the previous research, the developed J-V simulations revealed an indication of extra current collection from the tandem’s supporting layers. This extra current density makes the tandem’s short circuit current density J_SC higher than the current-matched J_ph of each perovskite and c-Si absorber layer. Because only J-V curves that could be simulated and not the EQE curves, it remained a mystery of which supporting layers in the tandem that contribute to the extra current collection. In this thesis project, a new EQE simulation methodology was developed to help to solve this mystery of extra current collection from the supporting layers. By performing the EQE simulation, we find that SnO2, TiO2, and Spiro-OMeTAD layers contribute to a total potential extra current collection of 2.50 mA/cm2 to 2.79 mA/cm2. A further study of the extra current collection is also conducted by modifying the simulation method that considers the absorbed photons’ energy in respect to the material’s energy bandgap. Under this further study, only absorbed photons with energy higher than the material’s energy bandgap can generate electron-hole pairs. After considering the absorbed photons’ energy in the simulation, only SnO2 and TiO2 layers that contribute to the significantly lower extra current collection of 0.07 mA/cm2.