3,802 research outputs found
Household liquidity and incremental financing decisions:theory and evidence
In this paper we develop a stochastic model for household liquidity. In the model, the optimal liquidity policy takes the form of a liquidity range. Subsequently, we use the model to calibrate the upper bound of the predicted liquidity range. Equipped with knowledge about the relevant control barriers, we run a series of empirical tests on a panel data set of Dutch households covering the period 1992-2007. The results broadly validate our theoretical predictions that households (i) exhaust most of their short-term liquid assets prior to increasing net debt, and (ii) reduce outstanding net debt at the optimally selected upper liquidity barrier. However, a small minority of households appear to act sub-optimally. Poor and vulnerable households rely too frequently on expensive forms of credit (such as overdrafts) hereby incurring substantial amounts of fees and fixed borrowing costs. Elderly households and people on social benefits tend to accumulate too much liquidity. Finally, some households take on expensive short-term credit while having substantial amounts of low-yielding liquid assets
Casimir effect with rough metallic mirrors
We calculate the second order roughness correction to the Casimir energy for
two parallel metallic mirrors. Our results may also be applied to the
plane-sphere geometry used in most experiments. The metallic mirrors are
described by the plasma model, with arbitrary values for the plasma wavelength,
the mirror separation and the roughness correlation length, with the roughness
amplitude remaining the smallest length scale for perturbation theory to hold.
From the analysis of the intracavity field fluctuations, we obtain the
Casimir energy correction in terms of generalized reflection operators, which
account for diffraction and polarization coupling in the scattering by the
rough surfaces. We present simple analytical expressions for several limiting
cases, as well as numerical results that allow for a reliable calculation of
the roughness correction in real experiments. The correction is larger than the
result of the Proximity Force Approximation, which is obtained from our theory
as a limiting case (very smooth surfaces).Comment: 16 page
Roughness correction to the Casimir force : Beyond the Proximity Force Approximation
We calculate the roughness correction to the Casimir effect in the parallel
plates geometry for metallic plates described by the plasma model. The
calculation is perturbative in the roughness amplitude with arbitrary values
for the plasma wavelength, the plate separation and the roughness correlation
length. The correction is found to be always larger than the result obtained in
the Proximity Force Approximation.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, v2 with minor change
Lateral Casimir force beyond the Proximity Force Approximation
We argue that the appropriate variable to study a non trivial geometry
dependence of the Casimir force is the lateral component of the Casimir force,
which we evaluate between two corrugated metallic plates outside the validity
of the Proximity Force Approximation (PFA). The metallic plates are described
by the plasma model, with arbitrary values for the plasma wavelength, the plate
separation and the corrugation period, the corrugation amplitude remaining the
smallest length scale. Our analysis shows that in realistic experimental
situations the Proximity Force Approximation overestimates the force by up to
30%.Comment: 4 pages. Identical to v1, which was accidentally replaced by a
different paper (quant-ph/0610026
Casimir-Polder shifts on quantum levitation states
An ultracold atom above a horizontal mirror experiences quantum reflection
from the attractive Casimir-Polder interaction, which holds it against gravity
and leads to quantum levitation states. We analyze this system by using a
Liouville transformation of the Schr\"odinger equation and a Langer coordinate
adapted to problems with a classical turning point. Reflection on the
Casimir-Polder attractive well is replaced by reflection on a repulsive wall
and the problem is then viewed as an ultracold atom trapped inside a cavity
with gravity and Casimir-Polder potentials acting respectively as top and
bottom mirrors. We calculate numerically Casimir-Polder shifts of the energies
of the cavity resonances and propose a new approximate treatment which is
precise enough to discuss spectroscopy experiments aiming at tests of the weak
equivalence principle on antihydrogen. We also discuss the lifetimes by
calculating complex energies associated with cavity resonances.Comment: Accepted in PR
Surface plasmon modes and the Casimir energy
We show the influence of surface plasmons on the Casimir effect between two
plane parallel metallic mirrors at arbitrary distances. Using the plasma model
to describe the optical response of the metal, we express the Casimir energy as
a sum of contributions associated with evanescent surface plasmon modes and
propagative cavity modes. In contrast to naive expectations, the plasmonic
modes contribution is essential at all distances in order to ensure the correct
result for the Casimir energy. One of the two plasmonic modes gives rise to a
repulsive contribution, balancing out the attractive contributions from
propagating cavity modes, while both contributions taken separately are much
larger than the actual value of the Casimir energy. This also suggests
possibilities to tailor the sign of the Casimir force via surface plasmons.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, revtex
Vacuum induced torque between corrugated metallic plates
We study the torque arising between two corrugated metallic plates due to the
interaction with electromagnetic vacuum. This Casimir torque can be measured
with torsion pendulum techniques for separation distances as large as 1m.
It allows one to probe the nontrivial geometry dependence of the Casimir energy
in a configuration which can be evaluated theoretically with accuracy. In the
optimal experimental configuration, the commonly used proximity force
approximation turns out to overestimate the torque by a factor 2 or larger.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Europhysics Letters. Technical
problem with eps file for figure 4 was fixe
Quantum reflection of antihydrogen from nanoporous media
We study quantum reflection of antihydrogen atoms from nanoporous media due
to the Casimir-Polder (CP) potential. Using a simple effective medium model, we
show a dramatic increase of the probability of quantum reflection of
antihydrogen atoms if the porosity of the medium increases. We discuss the
limiting case of reflections at small energies, which have interesting
applications for trapping and guiding antihydrogen using material walls
Classical Casimir interaction in the plane-sphere geometry
We study the Casimir interaction in the plane-sphere geometry in the
classical limit of high temperatures. In this limit, the finite conductivity of
the metallic plates needs to be taken into account. For the Drude model, the
classical Casimir interaction is nevertheless found to be independent of the
conductivity so that it can be described by a single universal function
depending only on the aspect ratio where is the interplate distance
and the sphere radius. This universal function differs from the one found
for perfect reflectors and is in principle amenable to experimental tests. The
asymptotic approach of the exact result to the Proximity Force Approximation
appears to be well fitted by polynomial expansions in .Comment: Updated version with minor modifications and addition of a referenc
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