{"id":{"repo_id":"cape-town","oai_identifier":"oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/33921"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cape-town/oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/33921","repository":{"repo_id":"cape-town","name":"University of Cape Town","base_url":"https://open.uct.ac.za/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Computational analysis techniques using fast radio bursts to probe astrophysics","abstract":"This thesis focuses on Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) and presents computational techniques that can be used to understand these enigmatic events and the Universe around them. Chapter 1 provides a theoretical overview of FRBs; providing a foundation for the chapters that follow. Chapter 2 details current understandings by providing a review of FRB properties and progenitor theories. In Chapter 3, we implement non-parametric techniques to measure the elusive baryonic halo of the Milky Way. We show that even with a limited data set, FRBs and an appropriate set of statistical tools can provide reasonable constraints on the dispersion measure of the Milky Way halo. Further, we expect that a modest increase in data (from fewer than 100 FRB detections to over 1000) will significantly tighten constraints, demonstrating that the technique we present may offer a valuable complement to other analyses in the near future. In Chapter 4, we study the fine time-frequency structure of the most famous FRB: FRB 121102. Here, we use autocorrelation functions to maximise the structure of 11 pulses detected with the MeerKAT radio telescope. The study is motivated by the low time-resolution of MeerKAT data, which presents a challenge to more traditional techniques. The burst profiles that are unveiled offer unique insight into the local environment of the FRB, including a possible deviation from the expected cold plasma dispersion relationship. The pulse features and their possible physical mechanisms are critically discussed in a bid to uncover the nature and origin of these transients.","abstract_html":"This thesis focuses on Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) and presents computational techniques that can be used to understand these enigmatic events and the Universe around them. Chapter 1 provides a theoretical overview of FRBs; providing a foundation for the chapters that follow. Chapter 2 details current understandings by providing a review of FRB properties and progenitor theories. In Chapter 3, we implement non-parametric techniques to measure the elusive baryonic halo of the Milky Way. We show that even with a limited data set, FRBs and an appropriate set of statistical tools can provide reasonable constraints on the dispersion measure of the Milky Way halo. Further, we expect that a modest increase in data (from fewer than 100 FRB detections to over 1000) will significantly tighten constraints, demonstrating that the technique we present may offer a valuable complement to other analyses in the near future. In Chapter 4, we study the fine time-frequency structure of the most famous FRB: FRB 121102. Here, we use autocorrelation functions to maximise the structure of 11 pulses detected with the MeerKAT radio telescope. The study is motivated by the low time-resolution of MeerKAT data, which presents a challenge to more traditional techniques. The burst profiles that are unveiled offer unique insight into the local environment of the FRB, including a possible deviation from the expected cold plasma dispersion relationship. The pulse features and their possible physical mechanisms are critically discussed in a bid to uncover the nature and origin of these transients.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Platts, Emma"],"institution":"Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Weltman, Amanda","Shock, Jonathan"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021","date_published":"2021","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:23:24Z","subjects":["Applied Mathematics"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11427/33921","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Weltman, Amanda","Shock, Jonathan"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Platts, Emma"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2021-09-15T15:07:49Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-09-15T15:07:49Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2021"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Doctoral Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral","PhD"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Applied Mathematics"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/33921"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis focuses on Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) and presents computational techniques that can be used to understand these enigmatic events and the Universe around them. Chapter 1 provides a theoretical overview of FRBs; providing a foundation for the chapters that follow. Chapter 2 details current understandings by providing a review of FRB properties and progenitor theories. In Chapter 3, we implement non-parametric techniques to measure the elusive baryonic halo of the Milky Way. We show that even with a limited data set, FRBs and an appropriate set of statistical tools can provide reasonable constraints on the dispersion measure of the Milky Way halo. Further, we expect that a modest increase in data (from fewer than 100 FRB detections to over 1000) will significantly tighten constraints, demonstrating that the technique we present may offer a valuable complement to other analyses in the near future. In Chapter 4, we study the fine time-frequency structure of the most famous FRB: FRB 121102. Here, we use autocorrelation functions to maximise the structure of 11 pulses detected with the MeerKAT radio telescope. The study is motivated by the low time-resolution of MeerKAT data, which presents a challenge to more traditional techniques. The burst profiles that are unveiled offer unique insight into the local environment of the FRB, including a possible deviation from the expected cold plasma dispersion relationship. The pulse features and their possible physical mechanisms are critically discussed in a bid to uncover the nature and origin of these transients."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Computational analysis techniques using fast radio bursts to probe astrophysics"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Weltman, Amanda","Shock, Jonathan"],"dc:creator":["Platts, Emma"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2021-09-15T15:07:49Z"],"dc:date.available":["2021-09-15T15:07:49Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2021"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis focuses on Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) and presents computational techniques that can be used to understand these enigmatic events and the Universe around them. Chapter 1 provides a theoretical overview of FRBs; providing a foundation for the chapters that follow. Chapter 2 details current understandings by providing a review of FRB properties and progenitor theories. In Chapter 3, we implement non-parametric techniques to measure the elusive baryonic halo of the Milky Way. We show that even with a limited data set, FRBs and an appropriate set of statistical tools can provide reasonable constraints on the dispersion measure of the Milky Way halo. Further, we expect that a modest increase in data (from fewer than 100 FRB detections to over 1000) will significantly tighten constraints, demonstrating that the technique we present may offer a valuable complement to other analyses in the near future. In Chapter 4, we study the fine time-frequency structure of the most famous FRB: FRB 121102. Here, we use autocorrelation functions to maximise the structure of 11 pulses detected with the MeerKAT radio telescope. The study is motivated by the low time-resolution of MeerKAT data, which presents a challenge to more traditional techniques. The burst profiles that are unveiled offer unique insight into the local environment of the FRB, including a possible deviation from the expected cold plasma dispersion relationship. The pulse features and their possible physical mechanisms are critically discussed in a bid to uncover the nature and origin of these transients."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/33921"],"dc:publisher.department":["Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics"],"dc:subject":["Applied Mathematics"],"dc:title":["Computational analysis techniques using fast radio bursts to probe astrophysics"],"dc:type":["Doctoral Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Doctoral","PhD"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:23:24Z"}