This dissertation describes the characterization of complex electronic materials via infrared magneto- spectroscopy. It primarily focuses on the interplane electrodynamics of the high-transition-temperature cuprate superconductors, but is extended to include semiconductors and semimetals. Due to the complex interconnection between superconductivity and magnetism, the magnetic field provides an ideal method for tuning the phase coherence of the superconducting order parameter. One component of this work examines the low-frequency response of the cuprates in the vortex state and critically assesses several theoretical descriptions of the vortex lattice dynamics. A detailed sum rule analysis in magnetic field illuminates the role of phase coherence and kinetic energy change in the formation of the superconducting condensate. The magneto-optical data for a range of cuprates are then discussed in the context of recent magneto-oscillation measurements, addressing the plausibility of coherent antinodal quasiparticle pockets on the Fermi surface. Finally, an infrared study of the proposed topological insulator Bi2Se3 utilizes a novel experimental apparatus to uncover dramatic spectral weight redistribution and electron-phonon coupling in this highly thermoelectric material

This dissertation analyzes contemporary Irish playwright Brian Friel's dramatization of the doubly oppressed Irish female who is victimized not only by the British colonizer, but also by the Irish men who seek compensation for their own colonized status. Friel uses the stage to speak to this question by representing the trauma of the doubly oppressed female and giving voice to this otherwise silenced figure. Despite scholarly attention to Friel, little work has been done to examine the treatment of women in his plays. Through the use of feminist, post- colonial, and trauma theory, I examine Friel's use of a specific theatrical technique, the moment of rupture, where his female characters break out of their normal speech patterns to enter into an awareness of their trauma. This dissertation explores how Friel employs this device in The Freedom of the City, Translations, and Dancing at Lughnasa to steer his audience to and through the moral and political issue of women's disempowerment

The relaxation of photoexcited nanosystems is a fundamental process of light-matter interaction. Depending on the couplings of the internal degrees of freedom, relaxation can be ultrafast, converting electronic energy in a few fs, or slow, if the energy is trapped in a metastable state that decouples from its environment. Here, we study helium nanodroplets excited resonantly by femtosecond extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) pulses from a seeded free-electron laser. Despite their superfluid nature, we find that helium nanodroplets in the lowest electronically excited states undergo ultrafast relaxation. By comparing experimental photoelectron spectra with time-dependent density functional theory simulations, we unravel the full relaxation pathway: Following an ultrafast interband transition, a void nanometer-sized bubble forms around the localized excitation (He[Formula: see text]) within 1 ps. Subsequently, the bubble collapses and releases metastable He[Formula: see text] at the droplet surface. This study highlights the high level of detail achievable in probing the photodynamics of nanosystems using tunable XUV pulses.

The relaxation of photoexcited nanosystems is a fundamental process of light-matter interaction. Depending on the couplings of the internal degrees of freedom, relaxation can be ultrafast, converting electronic energy in a few fs, or slow, if the energy is trapped in a metastable state that decouples from its environment. Here, we study helium nanodroplets excited resonantly by femtosecond extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) pulses from a seeded free-electron laser. Despite their superfluid nature, we find that helium nanodroplets in the lowest electronically excited states undergo ultrafast relaxation. By comparing experimental photoelectron spectra with time-dependent density functional theory simulations, we unravel the full relaxation pathway: Following an ultrafast interband transition, a void nanometer-sized bubble forms around the localized excitation (He[Formula: see text]) within 1 ps. Subsequently, the bubble collapses and releases metastable He[Formula: see text] at the droplet surface. This study highlights the high level of detail achievable in probing the photodynamics of nanosystems using tunable XUV pulses.

The Muller F element (4.2 Mb, ~80 protein-coding genes) is an unusual autosome of Drosophila melanogaster; it is mostly heterochromatic with a low recombination rate. To investigate how these properties impact the evolution of repeats and genes, we manually improved the sequence and annotated the genes on the D. erecta, D. mojavensis, and D. grimshawi F elements and euchromatic domains from the Muller D element. We find that F elements have greater transposon density (25-50%) than euchromatic reference regions (3-11%). Among the F elements, D. grimshawi has the lowest transposon density (particularly DINE-1: 2% vs. 11-27%). F element genes have larger coding spans, more coding exons, larger introns, and lower codon bias. Comparison of the Effective Number of Codons with the Codon Adaptation Index shows that, in contrast to the other species, codon bias in D. grimshawi F element genes can be attributed primarily to selection instead of mutational biases, suggesting that density and types of transposons affect the degree of local heterochromatin formation. F element genes have lower estimated DNA melting temperatures than D element genes, potentially facilitating transcription through heterochromatin. Most F element genes (~90%) have remained on that element, but the F element has smaller syntenic blocks than genome averages (3.4-3.6 vs. 8.4-8.8 genes per block), indicating greater rates of inversion despite lower rates of recombination. Overall, the F element has maintained characteristics that are distinct from other autosomes in the Drosophila lineage, illuminating the constraints imposed by a heterochromatic milieu.