On the formation of current sheets in response to the compression or expansion of a potential magnetic field

The compression or expansion of a magnetic field that is initially potential is considered. It was recently suggested by Janse & Low [2009, ApJ, 690, 1089] that, following the volumetric deformation, the relevant lowest energy state for the magnetic field is another potential magnetic field that in general contains tangential discontinuities (current sheets). Here we examine this scenario directly using a numerical relaxation method that exactly preserves the topology of the magnetic field. It is found that of the magnetic fields discussed by Janse & Low, only those containing magnetic null points develop current singularities during an ideal relaxation, while the magnetic fields without null points relax toward smooth force-free equilibria with finite non-zero current.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Anomalous Nonlocal Resistance and Spin-charge Conversion Mechanisms in Two-Dimensional Metals

We uncover two anomalous features in the nonlocal transport behavior of two-dimensional metallic materials with spin-orbit coupling. Firstly, the nonlocal resistance can have negative values and oscillate with distance, even in the absence of a magnetic field. Secondly, the oscillations of the nonlocal resistance under an applied in-plane magnetic field (Hanle effect) can be asymmetric under field reversal. Both features are produced by direct magnetoelectric coupling, which is possible in materials with broken inversion symmetry but was not included in previous spin diffusion theories of nonlocal transport. These effects can be used to identify the relative contributions of different spin-charge conversion mechanisms. They should be observable in adatom-functionalized graphene, and may provide the reason for discrepancies in recent nonlocal transport experiments on graphene.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, and Supplementary Materials, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Edge Modes, Degeneracies, and Topological Numbers in Non-Hermitian Systems

We analyze chiral topological edge modes in a non-Hermitian variant of the 2D Dirac equation. Such modes appear at interfaces between media with different "masses" and/or signs of the "non-Hermitian charge". The existence of these edge modes is intimately related to exceptional points of the bulk Hamiltonians, i.e., degeneracies in the bulk spectra of the media. We find that the topological edge modes can be divided into three families ("Hermitian-like", "non-Hermitian", and "mixed"), these are characterized by two winding numbers, describing two distinct kinds of half-integer charges carried by the exceptional points. We show that all the above types of topological edge modes can be realized in honeycomb lattices of ring resonators with asymmetric or gain/loss couplings.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, and Supplementary Materials, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Off-fault tensile cracks: A link between geological fault observations, lab experiments, and dynamic rupture models

We examine the local nature of the dynamic stress field in the vicinity of the tip of a semi-infinite sub-Rayleigh (slower than the Rayleigh wave speed, c_R) mode II crack with a velocity-weakening cohesive zone. We constrain the model using results from dynamic photoelastic experiments, in which shear ruptures were nucleated spontaneously in Homalite-100 plates along a bonded, precut, and inclined interface subject to a far-field uniaxial prestress. During the experiments, tensile cracks grew periodically along one side of the shear rupture interface at a roughly constant angle relative to the shear rupture interface. The occurrence and inclination of the tensile cracks are explained by our analytical model. With slight modifications, the model can be scaled to natural faults, providing diagnostic criteria for interpreting velocity, directivity, and static prestress state associated with past earthquakes on exhumed faults. Indirectly, this method also allows one to constrain the velocity-weakening nature of natural ruptures, providing an important link between field geology, laboratory experiments, and seismology