1,918 research outputs found
About maximally localized states in quantum mechanics
We analyze the emergence of a minimal length for a large class of generalized
commutation relations, preserving commutation of the position operators and
translation invariance as well as rotation invariance (in dimension higher than
one). We show that the construction of the maximally localized states based on
squeezed states generally fails. Rather, one must resort to a constrained
variational principle.Comment: accepted for publication in PR
Regional Debt in Monetary Unions: Is it Inflationary?
This paper studies the inflationary implications of interest bearing regional debt in a monetary union. Is this debt simply backed by future taxation with no inflationary consequences? Or will the circulation of region debt induce monetization by a central bank? We argue here that both outcomes can arise in equilibrium. In the model economy, there are multiple equilibria which reflect the perceptions of agents regarding the manner in which the debt obligations will be met. In one equilibrium, termed Ricardian, the future obligations are met with taxation by a regional government while in the other, termed Monetization, the central bank is induced to print money to finance the region's obligations. The multiplicity of equilibria reflects a commitment problem of the central bank. A key indicator of the selected equilibrium is the distribution of the holdings of the regional debt. We show that regional governments, anticipating central bank financing of their debt obligations, have an incentive to create excessively large deficits. We use the model to assess the impact of policy measures within a monetary union.Monetary Union ; Inflation tax ; Seigniorage ; Public debt.
Comment on "Quantum mechanics of smeared particles"
In a recent article, Sastry has proposed a quantum mechanics of smeared
particles. We show that the effects induced by the modification of the
Heisenberg algebra, proposed to take into account the delocalization of a
particle defined via its Compton wavelength, are important enough to be
excluded experimentally.Comment: 2 page
Insulation impossible: monetary policy and regional fiscal spillovers in a federation
This paper studies the effects of monetary policy rules in a fiscal federation, such as the European Union. The focus of the analysis is the interaction between the fiscal policy of member countries (regions) and the monetary authority. Each of the countries structures its fiscal policy (spending and taxes) with the interests of its citizens in mind. Ricardian equivalence does not hold due to the presence of monetary frictions, modeled here as reserve requirements. When capital markets are integrated, the fiscal policy of one country influences equilibrium wages and interest rates. Under certain rules, monetary policy may respond to the price variations induced by regional fiscal policies. Depending on the type of rule it adopts, interventions by the monetary authority affect the magnitude and nature of the spillover from regional fiscal policy.Monetary Union, Inflation tax, Seigniorage, monetary rules, public debt.
Monetary rules and the spillover of regional fiscal policies in a federation.
This paper studies the effects of monetary policy rules in a fiscal federation, such as the European Union. The focus of the analysis is the interaction between the fiscal policy of member countries (regions) and the monetary authority. Each of the countries structures its fiscal policy (spending and taxes) with the interests of its citizens in mind. Ricardian equivalence does not hold due to the presence of monetary frictions, modelled here as reserve requirements. When capital markets are integrated, the fiscal policy of one country influences equilibrium wages and interest rates. Under certain rules, monetary policy may respond to the price variations induced by regional fiscal policies. Depending on the type of rule it adopts, interventions by the monetary authority affect the magnitude and nature of the spillover from regional fiscal policy.Monetary Union ; Inflation tax ; Seigniorage ; monetary rules ; public debt.
Hole spin dynamics and hole factor anisotropy in coupled quantum well systems
Due to its p-like character, the valence band in GaAs-based heterostructures
offers rich and complex spin-dependent phenomena. One manifestation is the
large anisotropy of Zeeman spin splitting. Using undoped, coupled quantum wells
(QWs), we examine this anisotropy by comparing the hole spin dynamics for high-
and low-symmetry crystallographic orientations of the QWs. We directly measure
the hole factor via time-resolved Kerr rotation, and for the low-symmetry
crystallographic orientations (110) and (113a), we observe a large in-plane
anisotropy of the hole factor, in good agreement with our theoretical
calculations. Using resonant spin amplification, we also observe an anisotropy
of the hole spin dephasing in the (110)-grown structure, indicating that
crystal symmetry may be used to control hole spin dynamics
Perturbation spectrum in inflation with cutoff
It has been pointed out that the perturbation spectrum predicted by inflation
may be sensitive to a natural ultraviolet cutoff, thus potentially providing an
experimentally accessible window to aspects of Planck scale physics. A priori,
a natural ultraviolet cutoff could take any form, but a fairly general
classification of possible Planck scale cutoffs has been given. One of those
categorized cutoffs, also appearing in various studies of quantum gravity and
string theory, has recently been implemented into the standard inflationary
scenario. Here, we continue this approach by investigating its effects on the
predicted perturbation spectrum. We find that the size of the effect depends
sensitively on the scale separation between cutoff and horizon during
inflation.Comment: 6 pages; matches version accepted by PR
Unsharp Degrees of Freedom and the Generating of Symmetries
In quantum theory, real degrees of freedom are usually described by operators
which are self-adjoint. There are, however, exceptions to the rule. This is
because, in infinite dimensional Hilbert spaces, an operator is not necessarily
self-adjoint even if its expectation values are real. Instead, the operator may
be merely symmetric. Such operators are not diagonalizable - and as a
consequence they describe real degrees of freedom which display a form of
"unsharpness" or "fuzzyness". For example, there are indications that this type
of operators could arise with the description of space-time at the string or at
the Planck scale, where some form of unsharpness or fuzzyness has long been
conjectured.
A priori, however, a potential problem with merely symmetric operators is the
fact that, unlike self-adjoint operators, they do not generate unitaries - at
least not straightforwardly. Here, we show for a large class of these operators
that they do generate unitaries in a well defined way, and that these operators
even generate the entire unitary group of the Hilbert space. This shows that
merely symmetric operators, in addition to describing unsharp physical
entities, may indeed also play a r{\^o}le in the generation of symmetries, e.g.
within a fundamental theory of quantum gravity.Comment: 23 pages, LaTe
On Fields with Finite Information Density
The existence of a natural ultraviolet cutoff at the Planck scale is widely
expected. In a previous Letter, it has been proposed to model this cutoff as an
information density bound by utilizing suitably generalized methods from the
mathematical theory of communication. Here, we prove the mathematical
conjectures that were made in this Letter.Comment: 31 pages, to appear in Phys.Rev.
Mode Generating Mechanism in Inflation with Cutoff
In most inflationary models, space-time inflated to the extent that modes of
cosmological size originated as modes of wavelengths at least several orders of
magnitude smaller than the Planck length. Recent studies confirmed that,
therefore, inflationary predictions for the cosmic microwave background
perturbations are generally sensitive to what is assumed about the Planck
scale. Here, we propose a framework for field theories on curved backgrounds
with a plausible type of ultraviolet cutoff. We find an explicit mechanism by
which during cosmic expansion new (comoving) modes are generated continuously.
Our results allow the numerical calculation of a prediction for the CMB
perturbation spectrum.Comment: 9 pages, LaTe
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