First of all, I would like to thank my advisor Prof. Lukas T. N. Landau for introducing me to this novel topic. This study would not be possible without his encouragement, patience, guidance, daily motivation and assistance.I would like to express my love to my family, for their encouragement in both good and difficult times. To my parents, thank you for your advice, patience and support in my insane decisions throughout the years. To my mother, Márcia, thank you for teaching me the importance of learning and that the only thing people can't take from you is your knowledge. To my father, Marco, for teaching me that I should not take things so seriously: life is much simpler through his eyes. To my sister, Ana Carolina, thank you for always being there for me, your love and friendship. To my fiance, Pedro, for showing me that relaxing breaks are not only healthy but also super necessary, that I must not be anxious about things I can't control and, most importantly, that I should not settle for less than I deserve.My sincere thanks to all professors, students and staff from CETUC for providing a pleasant environment to pursue my studies. I had the opportunity to share classes and the laboratory with some amazing people. A special thanks to Roberto and Erico for their help, great insights and friendship. I am also grateful to the members of my defense committee, professors Junil Choi, Gonzalo Seco-Granados, Tadeu N. Ferreira and Rodrigo C. de Lamare, for generously serving as referees and take their time to evaluate my thesis.This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior -Brasil (CAPES) -Finance Code 001.