We consider the problem of random walks moving around on a lattice Zd with an initial Poisson distribution of traps. We consider both static and moving traps. In the static case, we prove that the survival time has a decay of e−c t d /d +2 based on a heuristic argument. In the moving case we aim to prove the sub-exponential decay of the survival time in dimensions 1 and 2, as well as the exponential de- cay of survival in dimensions 3 and higher. We achieve the former by first expressing the survival probability in the range of a random walk and by showing that the asymptotic behavior of said range behaves in a sub-exponential and exponential way for dimensions 1/2 and ≥ 3 respectively. Further- more, we also show an upper bound for the survival time of the form lim supt →∞ 1 t log P(T ≥ t ) < 0. Following this we look at the situation where traps decay as ||x|| → ∞. Meaning less traps will be distributed further away from the origin. We show that in the static case, if the decay rate satisfies the condition px ≤ p(||x||) where p(r ) is non-increasing and r p(r ) is integrable and convergent, that the random walk will be transient, meaning that there will be a strictly positive chance of survival. Lastly, we then show that for the dynamically moving traps case, if the decay rate is "fast enough", meaning that if the Poisson parameter of the distribution of the traps ρ(x) is of the form 1/||x||2+α where α > d − 2, that there will also be a strictly positive probability of survival.

A set of lines passing through the origin in Euclidean space is called equiangular if the angle between any two lines is the same. The question of finding the maximum number of such lines, N(d) in any dimension d is an extensively studied problem. Closely related, is the problem of finding the maximum number of lines, N_α(d), such that the common angle between the lines is arccosα. In recent years, many progress has been made on this problem. We review some of these breakthrough results and the techniques they use to approach this problem. The first main result is a linear upper bound on N_α(d) which is found using a completely novel approach with respect to techniques used in previous works. Another main result that we discuss solves the problem of finding N_α(d) for high enough dimensions. Some classic results from some of the first studies on equiangular lines are also discussed. Finally, some suggestions are given for possible further research.

This thesis uses the method of interlacing polynomials to study the behaviour of eigenvalues of a matrix after a rank-one update. Specifically, interlacing polynomials, common interlacing and interlacing families are exhaustively studied. These are excellent tools to find bounds on the eigenvalues of updated matrices by keeping track of how they move.

This enables us to prove results in different mathematical fields. We investigate three of them. The first one is from spectral graph theory: we prove the existence of a sharp κ-approximation for any graph.

The second result is from linear algebra. It states that if a matrix has a high stable rank, it must contain a large column submatrix with large least singular value.  

Lastly, the proof of the Kadison-Singer Problem is discussed. Despite being a problem from analysis, it was solved with the interlacing method, which is originally a method from discrete mathematics.

This thesis shows how these three seemingly different problems are all connected by the same method, highlighting its advantages. The objective is to present a clear framework of the different facets of the interlacing method and provide an insight in the situations where one can expect the said method to be useful.

Vector spherical harmonics are a set of basis functions for vector fields derived from the spherical harmonic functions. They are commonly used in spectral methods in certain areas of applied mathematics. In most of the existing literature they are defined in a way that is heavily dependent on the used coördinate system. In this thesis we define vector spherical harmonics in a coördinate free manner. We first do this on a sphere, using two tensor operators: the exterior derivative and the Hodge-star. We then extend these functions to vector functions in 3-dimensional Euclidian space and define a last type of vector function to form a complete basis for vector fields. We do this in such a manner that the vector spherical harmonics inherit some of the nice properties of the spherical harmonic functions with respect to rotations and rotational symmetric operators.

In this research, the implementations of quantum random walks in superconducting circuit-QED are studied. In particular, a walk that moves across the Fock states of a quantum harmonic oscillator by a Jaynes-Cummings model is investigated, which is difficult to implement because of different Rabi frequencies for different Fock states. Theoretically, the lower boundary vacuum state of the harmonic oscillator causes a reflection of the probability amplitudes in the distribution. A walk that moves across a grid of coherent states |nα+imα〉 in phase space is then investigated. A setup for a 1D and 2D quantum random walk is suggested, using controlled displacements of a resonator dispersively coupled to one or two superconducting transmon qubits in circuit-QED, followed by Hadamard gates. From numerical simulations it was observed that the 2D walk commutes for α·β = 0 mod π/2 for which the variance is proportional to the number of steps t squared. For other values of α·β the horizontal and vertical displacements do not commute, resulting in extra phase factors. The numerical simulations showed that for most values of α· β with a larger distance to 0 mod π/2 than 0.01, the probability distribution of the
walk collapses to a distribution centered around origin within t = 100 steps, similar to a classical random walk. Exceptions are the 2D walks for α·β = ±π/6 mod π/2 or ±
π/4 mod π/2, for which the variance is still proportional to the number of steps squared.

In this thesis, networks of coupled quantum harmonic oscillators are studied. The dynamics of these networks are determined by single-frequency vibrations of the entire network called normal modes. We study the behavior of the nor- mal modes when the network is coupled to a thermodynamical heat bath by looking at the Lindblad Master Equation of the system. From this equation, we determine the rate at which the normal modes decay. Certain normal modes decay very slowly, and some do not decay at all. These normal modes are called quasi-noiseless and noiseless clusters respectively. We determine what happens to the noiseless clusters when the network pa- rameters are very slightly perturbed. We have found that two distinct types of noiseless clusters can be identified. The first type disappears with even the slightest perturbation, making it useless in practice. The second type instead be- comes quasi-noiseless, making it a viable candidate for applications. We show how to determine the degree to which these noiseless clusters become quasi- noiseless by looking at the other normal modes of the network. We also explain how a network of oscillators, including an optional heat bath, can be simulated with an optical setup as described in [3]. We suggest this setup can be used to verify our findings.

This thesis investigates two types of classical capacities of both classical and quantum channels, giving rise to four different settings. The first type of classical capacity investigated is the ordinary capacity of a channel to transmit classical information with a probability of error which becomes arbitrarily small as the channel is used arbitrarily many times. The second type of classical capacity investigated is the capacity of a channel to transmit information with zero probability of error, called the zero-error classical capacity. The first setting which is studied is the ordinary capacity of a classical channel. The noisy channel coding theorem is proven in two different ways: one using the Markov inequality and the Law of Large Numbers and one using typical sets. The additivity of this capacity is also discussed. The second setting is the zero-error capacity of classical channel. Lower and upper bounds on this capacity are proven, and its superadditivity is discussed. The third setting is the ordinary classical capacity of a quantum channel. The Holevo-Schumacher-Westmoreland theorem is proven using typical subspaces and the packing lemma, and the superadditivity of the Holevo information is discussed in terms of entanglement at the encoder. The fourth and last setting investigated is that of the zero-error classical capacity of a quantum channel. It is shown that this capacity can be achieved using only pure input states and that this capacity never exceeds the ordinary classical capacity. Moreover, a detailed investigation of superactivation of the zero-error classical capacity is presented. A topic for further research would be an exposition of the analogous concepts in the case of the quantum capacity of quantum channels. Another topic for further research would be an explicit construction of two quantum channels whose zero-error classical capacity is superactivated.