Orbital magneto-optical response of periodic insulators from first principles

Magneto-optical response, i.e. optical response in the presence of a magnetic field, is commonly used for characterization of materials and in optical communications. However, quantum mechanical description of electric and magnetic fields in crystals is not straightforward as the position operator is ill defined. We present a reformulation of the density matrix perturbation theory for time-dependent electromagnetic fields under periodic boundary conditions, which allows us to treat the orbital magneto-optical response of solids at the ab initio level. The efficiency of the computational scheme proposed is comparable to standard linear-response calculations of absorption spectra and the results of tests for molecules and solids agree with the available experimental data. A clear signature of the valley Zeeman effect is revealed in the continuum magneto-optical spectrum of a single layer of hexagonal boron nitride. The present formalism opens the path towards the study of magneto-optical effects in strongly driven low-dimensional systems

Dust Dynamics, Surface Brightness Profiles, and Thermal Spectra of Debris Disks: The Case of AU Mic

AU Microscopii is a 12 Myr old M dwarf that harbors an optically thin, edge-on disk of dust. The scattered light surface brightness falls with projected distance b from the star as b^-a; within b = 43 AU, a = 1-2, while outside 43 AU, a = 4-5. We devise a theory to explain this profile. At a stellocentric distance r = r_BR = 43 AU, we posit a ring of parent bodies on circular orbits: the "birth ring," wherein micron-sized grains are born from the collisional attrition of parent bodies. The "inner disk" at r < r_BR contains grains that migrate inward by corpuscular and Poynting-Robertson (CPR) drag. The "outer disk" at r > r_BR comprises grains just large enough to remain bound to the star, on orbits rendered highly eccentric by stellar wind and radiation pressure. How the vertical optical depth tau scales with r depends on the fraction of grains that migrate inward by CPR drag without suffering a collision. If this fraction is large, the inner disk and birth ring share the same optical depth, and tau scales as r^-5/2 in the outer disk. By contrast, under collision-dominated conditions, the inner disk is empty, and tau scales as r^-3/2 outside. These scaling relations, which we derive analytically and confirm numerically, are robust against uncertainties in the grain size distribution. By simultaneously modeling the surface brightness and thermal spectrum, we break model degeneracies to establish that the AU Mic system is collision-dominated, and that its narrow birth ring contains a lunar mass of decimeter-sized bodies. The inner disk is devoid of micron-sized grains; the surface brightness at b < 43 AU arises from light forward scattered by the birth ring. Inside b = 43 AU, the disk's V-H color should not vary with b; outside, the disk must become bluer as ever smaller grains are probed.Comment: Final proofed version to be published in ApJ; no significant changes from version

Characterizing generated charged inverse micelles with transient current measurements

We investigate the generation of charged inverse micelles in nonpolar surfactant solutions relevant for applications such as electronic ink displays and liquid toners. When a voltage is applied across a thin layer of a nonpolar surfactant solution between planar electrodes, the generation of charged inverse micelles leads to a generation current. From current measurements it appears that such charged inverse micelles generated in the presence of an electric field behave differently compared to those present in equilibrium in the absence of a field. To examine the origin of this difference, transient current measurements in which the applied voltage is suddenly increased are used to measure the mobility and the amount of generated charged inverse micelles. The mobility and the corresponding hydrodynamic size are found to be similar to those of charged inverse micelles present in equilibrium, which indicates that other properties determine their different behavior. The amplitude and shape of the transient currents measured as a function of the surfactant concentration confirm that the charged inverse micelles are generated by bulk disproportionation. A theoretical model based on bulk disproportionation with simulations and analytical approximations is developed to analyze the experimental transient currents

Real-space grids and the Octopus code as tools for the development of new simulation approaches for electronic systems

Real-space grids are a powerful alternative for the simulation of electronic systems. One of the main advantages of the approach is the flexibility and simplicity of working directly in real space where the different fields are discretized on a grid, combined with competitive numerical performance and great potential for parallelization. These properties constitute a great advantage at the time of implementing and testing new physical models. Based on our experience with the Octopus code, in this article we discuss how the real-space approach has allowed for the recent development of new ideas for the simulation of electronic systems. Among these applications are approaches to calculate response properties, modeling of photoemission, optimal control of quantum systems, simulation of plasmonic systems, and the exact solution of the Schrödinger equation for low-dimensionality systems

Comparative Natural History of Visual Function From Patients With Biallelic Variants in BBS1 and BBS10.

The purpose of this study was to compare the natural history of visual function change in cohorts of patients affected with retinal degeneration due to biallelic variants in Bardet-Biedl syndrome genes: BBS1 and BBS10. Patients were recruited from nine academic centers from six countries (Belgium, Canada, France, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United States). Inclusion criteria were: (1) female or male patients with a clinical diagnosis of retinal dystrophy, (2) biallelic disease-causing variants in BBS1 or BBS10, and (3) measures of visual function for at least one visit. Retrospective data collected included genotypes, age, onset of symptoms, and best corrected visual acuity (VA). When possible, data on refractive error, fundus images and autofluorescence (FAF), optical coherence tomography (OCT), Goldmann kinetic perimetry (VF), electroretinography (ERG), and the systemic phenotype were collected. Sixty-seven individuals had variants in BBS1 (n = 38; 20 female patients and 18 male patients); or BBS10 (n = 29; 14 female patients and 15 male patients). Missense variants were the most common type of variants for patients with BBS1, whereas frameshift variants were most common for BBS10. When ERGs were recordable, rod-cone dystrophy (RCD) was observed in 82% (23/28) of patients with BBS1 and 73% (8/11) of patients with BBS10; cone-rod dystrophy (CORD) was seen in 18% of patients with BBS1 only, and cone dystrophy (COD) was only seen in 3 patients with BBS10 (27%). ERGs were nondetectable earlier in patients with BBS10 than in patients with BBS1. Similarly, VA and VF declined more rapidly in patients with BBS10 compared to patients with BBS1. Retinal degeneration appears earlier and is more severe in BBS10 cases as compared to those with BBS1 variants. The course of change of visual function appears to relate to genetic subtypes of BBS

The phenotypic spectrum of patients with PHARC syndrome due to variants in ABHD12: an ophthalmic perspective

This study investigated the phenotypic spectrum of PHARC (polyneuropathy, hearing loss, ataxia, retinitis pigmentosa and early-onset cataract) syndrome caused by biallelic variants in the ABHD12 gene. A total of 15 patients from 12 different families were included, with a mean age of 36.7 years (standard deviation [SD] +/- 11.0; range from 17.5 to 53.9) at the most recent examination. The presence and onset of neurological, audiological and ophthalmic symptoms were variable, with no evident order of symptom appearance. The mean best-corrected visual acuity was 1.1 logMAR (SD +/- 0.9; range from 0.1 to 2.8; equivalent to 20/250 Snellen) and showed a trend of progressive decline. Different types of cataract were observed in 13 out of 15 patients (87%), which also included congenital forms of cataract. Fundus examination revealed macular involvement in all patients, ranging from alterations of the retinal pigment epithelium to macular atrophy. Intraretinal spicular hyperpigmentation was observed in 7 out of 15 patients (47%). From an ophthalmic perspective, clinical manifestations in patients with PHARC demonstrate variability with regard to their onset and severity. Given the variable nature of PHARC, an early multidisciplinary assessment is recommended to assess disease severity.Ophthalmic researc

Discovery of the Onset of Rapid Accretion by a Dormant Massive Black Hole

Massive black holes are believed to reside at the centres of most galaxies. They can be- come detectable by accretion of matter, either continuously from a large gas reservoir or impulsively from the tidal disruption of a passing star, and conversion of the gravitational energy of the infalling matter to light. Continuous accretion drives Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), which are known to be variable but have never been observed to turn on or off. Tidal disruption of stars by dormant massive black holes has been inferred indirectly but the on- set of a tidal disruption event has never been observed. Here we report the first discovery of the onset of a relativistic accretion-powered jet in the new extragalactic transient, Swift J164449.3+573451. The behaviour of this new source differs from both theoretical models of tidal disruption events and observations of the jet-dominated AGN known as blazars. These differences may stem from transient effects associated with the onset of a powerful jet. Such an event in the massive black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy could strongly ionize the upper atmosphere of the Earth, if beamed towards us.Comment: Submitted to Nature. 4 pages, 3 figures (main paper). 26 pages, 13 figures (supplementary information

Menus for Feeding Black Holes

Black holes are the ultimate prisons of the Universe, regions of spacetime where the enormous gravity prohibits matter or even light to escape to infinity. Yet, matter falling toward the black holes may shine spectacularly, generating the strongest source of radiation. These sources provide us with astrophysical laboratories of extreme physical conditions that cannot be realized on Earth. This chapter offers a review of the basic menus for feeding matter onto black holes and discusses their observational implications.Comment: 27 pages. Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Also to appear in hard cover in the Space Sciences Series of ISSI "The Physics of Accretion onto Black Holes" (Springer Publisher