Hot-electron bolometers are fast and low noise radiation detectors which can be used for many different applications. The aim of this work was to optimize the fabrication process of hot-electron bolometers and gain a deeper understanding of the underlying processes. To achieve this, the fabrication of the superconducting thin films was optimized and the superconducting properties of the films were analyzed. Detectors fabricated using the results showed a record value for the noise temperature.

In today's turbulent business environment, maintaining and optimizing retail strategies are of crucial importance. Retail Marketing is a complete guide to how retailing works in the non-food sector. Focusing on operational applications of retailing, this textbook puts students on the inside track to success in the fast-moving retail industry. This new edition offers an integrated approah to internet and cross-channel retailing and adds new material on lost sales and market research in addition to coverig new research. Retail Marketing is a comprehensive textbook for students in this area and provides the perfect overview for anyone interested in this vital industry.

For the analysis and optimization of the picosecond pulsed terahertz radiation generated by electron storage rings or other pulsed sources, ultra-fast detectors are required which are able to resolve picosecond dynamic processes directly in the time domain. In this book, a new direct terahertz detector technology based on the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-x has been developed which opens new routes in the analysis of picosecond time-domain processes with a wide dynamic range.

Hysteretic loss optimisations through numerical simulation and subsequent experimental confirmation in transport current and background field measurements: ferromagnetic shielding and topological geometry optimisation is used to reduce energy dissipation in HTS coated conductor geometries. Single tapes and coil geometries are investigated. A 3D model capable of taking into account contact resistances is also presented for the Twisted Stacked Tape Conductor cable.

Superconducting nanowire singe-photon detectors (SNSPD) are promising detectors in the field of applications, where single-photon resolution is required like in quantum optics, spectroscopy or astronomy. These cryogenic detectors gain from a broad spectrum in the optical and infrared range and deliver low dark count rates and low jitter times. This thesis improves the understanding of the detection mechanism of SNSPDs and intodruces new and promising multi-pixel readout concepts.

This work investigates the capability of the high-temperature superconductor YBCO to sense the evolution of the electrical field of THz pulses. A deposition process for ten unit-cell thin films and a sub-μm patterning process were developed to enable high sensitivities. The detector response to THz exctiations and its electrical-field sensitivity were studied. This unique characteristic allows for the investigation of instabilities of the THz radiation emitted from synchrotron storage rings.