Numerical Analysis of Three-dimensional Acoustic Cloaks and Carpets

We start by a review of the chronology of mathematical results on the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map which paved the way towards the physics of transformational acoustics. We then rederive the expression for the (anisotropic) density and bulk modulus appearing in the pressure wave equation written in the transformed coordinates. A spherical acoustic cloak consisting of an alternation of homogeneous isotropic concentric layers is further proposed based on the effective medium theory. This cloak is characterised by a low reflection and good efficiency over a large bandwidth for both near and far fields, which approximates the ideal cloak with a inhomogeneous and anisotropic distribution of material parameters. The latter suffers from singular material parameters on its inner surface. This singularity depends upon the sharpness of corners, if the cloak has an irregular boundary, e.g. a polyhedron cloak becomes more and more singular when the number of vertices increases if it is star shaped. We thus analyse the acoustic response of a non-singular spherical cloak designed by blowing up a small ball instead of a point, as proposed in [Kohn, Shen, Vogelius, Weinstein, Inverse Problems 24, 015016, 2008]. The multilayered approximation of this cloak requires less extreme densities (especially for the lowest bound). Finally, we investigate another type of non-singular cloaks, known as invisibility carpets [Li and Pendry, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 203901, 2008], which mimic the reflection by a flat ground.Comment: Latex, 21 pages, 7 Figures, last version submitted to Wave Motion. OCIS Codes: (000.3860) Mathematical methods in physics; (260.2110) Electromagnetic theory; (160.3918) Metamaterials; (160.1190) Anisotropic optical materials; (350.7420) Waves; (230.1040) Acousto-optical devices; (160.1050) Acousto-optical materials; (290.5839) Scattering,invisibility; (230.3205) Invisibility cloak

Solvable Lie algebras are not that hypo

We study a type of left-invariant structure on Lie groups, or equivalently on Lie algebras. We introduce obstructions to the existence of a hypo structure, namely the 5-dimensional geometry of hypersurfaces in manifolds with holonomy SU(3). The choice of a splitting g^*=V_1 + V_2, and the vanishing of certain associated cohomology groups, determine a first obstruction. We also construct necessary conditions for the existence of a hypo structure with a fixed almost-contact form. For non-unimodular Lie algebras, we derive an obstruction to the existence of a hypo structure, with no choice involved. We apply these methods to classify solvable Lie algebras that admit a hypo structure.Comment: 21 pages; v2: presentation improved, typos corrected, notational conflicts eliminated. To appear in Transformation Group

Focusing: coming to the point in metamaterials

The point of the paper is to show some limitations of geometrical optics in the analysis of subwavelength focusing. We analyze the resolution of the image of a line source radiating in the Maxwell fisheye and the Veselago-Pendry slab lens. The former optical medium is deduced from the stereographic projection of a virtual sphere and displays a heterogeneous refractive index n(r) which is proportional to the inverse of 1+r^2. The latter is described by a homogeneous, but negative, refractive index. It has been suggested that the fisheye makes a perfect lens without negative refraction [Leonhardt, Philbin arxiv:0805.4778v2]. However, we point out that the definition of super-resolution in such a heterogeneous medium should be computed with respect to the wavelength in a homogenized medium, and it is perhaps more adequate to talk about a conjugate image rather than a perfect image (the former does not necessarily contains the evanescent components of the source). We numerically find that both the Maxwell fisheye and a thick silver slab lens lead to a resolution close to lambda/3 in transverse magnetic polarization (electric field pointing orthogonal to the plane). We note a shift of the image plane in the latter lens. We also observe that two sources lead to multiple secondary images in the former lens, as confirmed from light rays travelling along geodesics of the virtual sphere. We further observe resolutions ranging from lambda/2 to nearly lambda/4 for magnetic dipoles of varying orientations of dipole moments within the fisheye in transverse electric polarization (magnetic field pointing orthogonal to the plane). Finally, we analyse the Eaton lens for which the source and its image are either located within a unit disc of air, or within a corona 1<r<2 with refractive index $n(r)=\sqrt{2/r-1}$. In both cases, the image resolution is about lambda/2.Comment: Version 2: 22 pages, 11 figures. More figures added, additional cases discussed. Misprints corrected. Keywords: Maxwell fisheye, Eaton lens; Non-Euclidean geometry; Stereographic projection; Transformation optics; Metamaterials; Perfect lens. The last version appears at J. Modern Opt. 57 (2010), no. 7, 511-52

Hidden progress: broadband plasmonic invisibility

The key challenge in current research into electromagnetic cloaking is to achieve invisibility over an extended bandwidth. There has been significant progress towards this using the idea of cloaking by sweeping under the carpet of Li and Pendry, with dielectric structures superposed on a mirror. Here, we show that we can harness surface plasmon polaritons at a metal surface structured with a dielectric material to obtain a unique control of their propagation. We exploit this to control plasmonic coupling and demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally cloaking over an unprecedented bandwidth (650-900 nm). Our non-resonant plasmonic metamaterial allows a curved reflector to mimic a flat mirror. Our theoretical predictions are validated by experiments mapping the surface light intensity at the wavelength 800 nm

A Unified Algebraic Approach to Classical Yang-Baxter Equation

In this paper, the different operator forms of classical Yang-Baxter equation are given in the tensor expression through a unified algebraic method. It is closely related to left-symmetric algebras which play an important role in many fields in mathematics and mathematical physics. By studying the relations between left-symmetric algebras and classical Yang-Baxter equation, we can construct left-symmetric algebras from certain classical r-matrices and conversely, there is a natural classical r-matrix constructed from a left-symmetric algebra which corresponds to a parak\"ahler structure in geometry. Moreover, the former in a special case gives an algebraic interpretation of the ``left-symmetry'' as a Lie bracket ``left-twisted'' by a classical r-matrix.Comment: To appear in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretica

Special symplectic Lie groups and hypersymplectic Lie groups

A special symplectic Lie group is a triple $(G,\omega,\nabla)$ such that $G$ is a finite-dimensional real Lie group and $\omega$ is a left invariant symplectic form on $G$ which is parallel with respect to a left invariant affine structure $\nabla$. In this paper starting from a special symplectic Lie group we show how to ``deform" the standard Lie group structure on the (co)tangent bundle through the left invariant affine structure $\nabla$ such that the resulting Lie group admits families of left invariant hypersymplectic structures and thus becomes a hypersymplectic Lie group. We consider the affine cotangent extension problem and then introduce notions of post-affine structure and post-left-symmetric algebra which is the underlying algebraic structure of a special symplectic Lie algebra. Furthermore, we give a kind of double extensions of special symplectic Lie groups in terms of post-left-symmetric algebras.Comment: 32 page

Qualité pastorale des ressources herbagères de la réserve de biosphère du Ferlo (Nord-Sénégal)

La strate herbac&#233;e des phytoc&#233;noses sah&#233;liennes joue un r&#244;le de grande importance dans l&#8217;alimentation du b&#233;tail. Ainsi, la connaissance de la production de fourrage &#171; qualifi&#233; &#187; permet de mieux suivre le fonctionnement des groupements herbac&#233;s. Cette &#233;tude &#233;value la production et appr&#233;cie la qualit&#233; pastorale des herbages de la r&#233;serve de biosph&#232;re du Ferlo (Nord S&#233;n&#233;gal). Un inventaire floristique de la v&#233;g&#233;tation herbac&#233;e a &#233;t&#233; effectu&#233; sur 201 placettes en zone tampon et en zone de transition de la r&#233;serve de biosph&#232;re. Le cort&#232;ge floristique, le recouvrement et la contribution sp&#233;cifique de la strate herbac&#233;e ont &#233;t&#233; &#233;tablis. La production de phytomasse herbac&#233;e au maximum de la v&#233;g&#233;tation par la r&#233;colte int&#233;grale est estim&#233;e &#224; 3,3 tonnes de MS/ha. L&#8217;indice global de qualit&#233; (IGQ) des parcours de la r&#233;serve de biosph&#232;re est de 56,4%. Huit esp&#232;ces (Schoenefeldia gracilis Kunth., Eragrostis tremula Hochst., Pennisetum pedicellatum Trin., Andropogon gayanus Kunth., Zornia glochidiata Reichb. Ex DC., Andropogon pseudapricus Stapf., Schizychirium exile Stapf. et Senna mimosoides L.) d&#233;terminent &#224; 91% la valeur pastorale des herbages. La production de fourrage &#171; qualifi&#233; &#187; est estim&#233;e &#224; 1,86 tonne de MS/ha et la capacit&#233; de charge &#224; 0,41 UBT/ha/an.Mots cl&#233;s: fourrage herbager - valeur pastorale - capacit&#233; de charg