I review a new (and still tentative) approach to black hole thermodynamics that seeks to explain black hole entropy in terms of microscopic quantum gravitational boundary states induced on the black hole horizon. (Talk given at CAM ’95, joint meeting of the Canadian Association of Physicists, the American Physical Society, and the Mexican Physical Society, Quebec City, Canada.) ∗email: carlip@d...

The recently discovered correlation between black hole mass and stellar velocity dispersion provides a new method to determine the masses of black holes in active galaxies. We have obtained optical spectra of Markarian 501, a nearby γ-ray blazar with emission extending to TeV energies. The stellar velocity dispersion of the host galaxy, measured from the calcium triplet lines in a 2× 3.7 apertu...

In classical loss cone theory, stars are supplied to a central black hole via gravitational scattering onto low angular momentum orbits. Much higher feeding rates are possible if the gravitational potential near the black hole is non-axisymmetric and the orbits are chaotic. Motivated by recently published, self-consistent models, we evaluate stellar capture rates in triaxial nuclei. Rates are f...

Boron and arsenic triiodides (BI3 and AsI3, respectively) are similar molecules that differ mainly in their geometries. BI3 is a planar trigonal molecule with D3h symmetry, while AsI3 exhibits a trigonal pyramidal shape with C3v symmetry. Consequently, the As atom of the AsI3 molecule has three σ-holes, whereas the B atom of the BI3 molecule has two symmetrical π-holes. Additionally, there are ...

We employ dynamical mean-field theory to study the optical conductivity σ(ω) of one hole in the Holstein-t-J model. We provide an exact solution for σ(ω) in the limit of infinite connectivity. We apply our analysis to Nd2−xCexCuO4. We show that our model can explain many features of the optical conductivity in this compounds in terms of magnetic/lattice polaron formation.

Correction for 'The strength and directionality of a halogen bond are co-determined by the magnitude and size of the σ-hole' by Michal Kolářet al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2014, 16, 9987-9996.

The nature of metals in the isostructural series dithiocarbamate complexes affects electron belt-to-σ-hole switch noncovalently bound iodine(i) leading to either semicoordination, or halogen bonding.