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Probing the expansion history of the universe using upernovae and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations
(University of the Western Cape, 2016)
The standard model of cosmology (the ɅCDM model) has been very successful and is compatible with all observational data up to now. However, it remains an important task to develop and apply null tests of this model. These ...
Using semantic profiling to characterize pedagogical practices and student learning : a case study in two introductory physics courses
(University of the Western Cape, 2016)
Framed by the South African imperative of widening epistemological access to undergraduate science studies, this research takes the form of a case study to investigate the educational affordances of an extended introductory ...
Analysis and simulations to obtain the weak magnetism term in ²²Na beta decay
(University of the Western Cape, 2016)
The study of ²²Na beta decay offers an opportunity to test the Standard Model of Particle Physics via measurements of the β−γ angular correlation. A previous measurement of this correlation yielded a non-zero value, ...
The design and simulation of a new experimental set up to measure nuclear level lifetimes
(University of the Western Cape, 2016)
Measurements of nuclear level lifetimes are an important aspect of experimental nuclear physics. Such measurements determine transition matrix elements for nuclear structure research and also provide the widths of relevant ...
The curious case of offset bars : markers for a baby galaxy disk or signposts of an interaction with dark matter sub halos?
(University of the Western Cape, 2016)
We have used the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S⁴G) as a representative sample of the local universe (total of 2352 galaxies in S⁴G) to make a catalog of offset disk barred galaxies. Using the combined ...
Nuclear level densities and gamma-ray strength functions in Ta isotopes and nucleo-synthesis of ¹⁸ᴼTa
(University of the Western Cape, 2016)
Most stable and extremely low abundance neutron deficient nuclei with Z ≥ 34 are referred to as p-nuclei. Nearly all p-nuclei with A < 110 are most likely produced in the rp-process while almost all A > 110 are thought ...
The effects of environment on radio-loud AGN activity in Stripe 82
(University of the Western Cape, 2016)
We investigate the link between environment and radiative accretion efficiency using a sample of 8946 radio-loud AGN detected at 1 − 2 GHz in the SDSS Stripe 82 region. We quantify their environments using the surface-density ...
Hydrogen storage in Ti-based coatings and Ti6Al4V alloy
(University of the Western Cape, 2016)
Hydrogen has been regarded as an ideal energy carrier for future, it can be stored as a liquid in cryogenic tanks, a gas in high pressure cylinders and as solid in metal hydrides. Hydrogen storage in metal hydrides is of ...
Imprints of Primordial Non-Gaussianity on Large Scale Structure in the Universe
(University of the Western Cape, 2016)
Large scale structure in the universe is one of the most important probing tools for
cosmological modelling. Assuming the hot big bang model of the universe, the expansion
history has undergone two phases of acceleration. ...
Measuring the quasar luminosity function below the detection threshold
(University of the Western Cape, 2016)
The radio emission of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGN) is thought to be from star formation and AGN related emission. I investigate these sources using 1.4 GHz radio data from FIRST and three optical quasars samples ...