Connection between type B (or C) and F factorizations and construction of algebras

In a recent paper (Del Sol Mesa A and Quesne C 2000 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 33 4059), we started a systematic study of the connections among different factorization types, suggested by Infeld and Hull, and of their consequences for the construction of algebras. We devised a general procedure for constructing satellite algebras for all the Hamiltonians admitting a type E factorization by using the relationship between type A and E factorizations. Here we complete our analysis by showing that for Hamiltonians admitting a type F factorization, a similar method, starting from either type B or type C ones, leads to other types of algebras. We therefore conclude that the existence of satellite algebras is a characteristic property of type E factorizable Hamiltonians. Our results are illustrated with the detailed discussion of the Coulomb problem.Comment: minor changes, 1 additional reference, final form to be published in JP

Ecología, arquitectura y rehabilitación: necesidad de soluciones integradas

Los edificios son en buena medida responsables de la insostenibilidad del sistema productivo. En España, una importante labor para la disminución del impacto ambiental de la edificación radica en la adaptación del parque edificatorio existente a las nuevas exigencias. Sin embargo, la profesión del arquitecto tiene arraigados unos cánones de la buena Arquitectura que no contemplan el criterio de la sostenibilidad y la rehabilitación con criterios ecológicos, representando una minoría los arquitectos que sí se han embarcado en este compromiso. En este trabajo estudiamos los aspectos ecológicos en la normativa española y europea de edificios, que representa las preocupaciones de la sociedad, así como en los premios de Arquitectura, que representan la mirada del arquitecto. Con ello, buscamos demostrar la divergencia entre dos mundos, frente a la que proponemos la necesidad de soluciones integradas de rehabilitación que ponen en valor los aspectos ecológicos y arquitectónicos de la edificación

Some Advances in the Circuit Modeling of Extraordinary Optical Transmission

The phenomenon of extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) through electrically small holes perforated on opaque metal screens has been a hot topic in the optics community for more than one decade. This experimentally observed frequency-selective enhanced transmission of electromagnetic power through holes, for which classical Bethe\'s theory predicts very poor transmission, later attracted the attention of engineers working on microwave engineering or applied electromagnetics. Extraordinary transmission was first linked to the plasma-like behavior of metals at optical frequencies. However, the primary role played by the periodicity of the distribution of holes was soon made evident, in such a way that extraordinary transmission was disconnected from the particular behavior of metals at optical frequencies. Indeed, the same phenomenon has been observed in the microwave and millimeter wave regime, for instance. Nowadays, the most commonly accepted theory explains EOT in terms of the interaction of the impinging plane wave with the surface plasmon-polariton-Bloch waves (SPP-Bloch) supported by the periodically perforated plate. The authors of this paper have recently proposed an alternative model whose details will be briefly summarized here. A parametric study of the predictions of the model and some new potential extensions will be reported to provide additional insight

High-contrast imaging of Sirius~A with VLT/SPHERE: Looking for giant planets down to one astronomical unit

Sirius has always attracted a lot of scientific interest, especially after the discovery of a companion white dwarf at the end of the 19th century. Very early on, the existence of a potential third body was put forward to explain some of the observed properties of the system. We present new coronagraphic observations obtained with VLT/SPHERE that explore, for the very first time, the innermost regions of the system down to 0.2" (0.5 AU) from Sirius A. Our observations cover the near-infrared from 0.95 to 2.3 $\mu$m and they offer the best on-sky contrast ever reached at these angular separations. After detailing the steps of our SPHERE/IRDIFS data analysis, we present a robust method to derive detection limits for multi-spectral data from high-contrast imagers and spectrographs. In terms of raw performance, we report contrasts of 14.3 mag at 0.2", ~16.3 mag in the 0.4-1.0" range and down to 19 mag at 3.7". In physical units, our observations are sensitive to giant planets down to 11 $M_{Jup}$ at 0.5 AU, 6-7 $M_{Jup}$ in the 1-2 AU range and ~4 $M_{Jup}$ at 10 AU. Despite the exceptional sensitivity of our observations, we do not report the detection of additional companions around Sirius A. Using a Monte Carlo orbital analysis, we show that we can reject, with about 50% probability, the existence of an 8 $M_{Jup}$ planet orbiting at 1 AU. In addition to the results presented in the paper, we provide our SPHERE/IFS data reduction pipeline at http://people.lam.fr/vigan.arthur/ under the MIT license.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA