The Poverty of Growth with Interdependent Utility Functions

We argue that with interdependent utility functions growth can lead to a decline in total welfare of a society if the gains from growth are sufficiently unequally distributed in the presence of negative externalities, i.e., envy

The Poverty of Growth with Interdependent Utility Functions

We argue that with interdependent utility functions growth can lead to a decline in total welfare of a society if the gains from growth are sufficiently unequally distributed in the presence of negative externalities, i.e., envy.Interdependent utility functions ; growth ; inequality

The Poverty of Growth with Interdependent Utility Functions

We argue that with interdependent utility functions growth can lead to a decline in total welfare of a society if the gains from growth are sufficiently unequally distributed in the presence of negative externalities, i.e., envy.interdependent utility functions, growth, inequality

Quantum heat engines: limit cycles and exceptional points

We show that the inability of a quantum Otto cycle to reach a limit cycle is connected with the propagator of the cycle being non-compact. For a working fluid consisting of quantum harmonic oscillators, the transition point in parameter space where this instability occurs is associated with a non-hermitian degeneracy (exceptional point) of the eigenvalues of the propagator. In particular, a third-order exceptional point is observed at the transition from the region where the eigenvalues are complex numbers to the region where all the eigenvalues are real. Within this region we find another exceptional point, this time of second order, at which the trajectory becomes divergent. The onset of the divergent behavior corresponds to the modulus of one of the eigenvalues becoming larger than one. The physical origin of this phenomenon is that the hot and cold heat baths are unable to dissipate the frictional internal heat generated in the adiabatic strokes of the cycle. This behavior is contrasted with that of quantum spins as working fluid which have a compact Hamiltonian and thus no exceptional points. All arguments are rigorously proved in terms of the systems' associated Lie algebras

Patterns driven by combined AC and DC electric fields in nematic liquid crystals

The effect of superimposed ac and dc electric fields on the formation of electroconvection and flexoelectric patterns in nematic liquid crystals was studied. For selected ac frequencies an extended standard model of the electro-hydrodynamic instabilities was used to characterize the onset of pattern formation in the two-dimensional parameter space of the magnitudes of the ac and dc electric field components. Numerical as well as approximate analytical calculations demonstrate that depending on the type of patterns and on the ac frequency, the combined action of ac and dc fields may either enhance or suppress the formation of patterns. The theoretical predictions are qualitatively confirmed by experiments in most cases. Some discrepancies, however, seem to indicate the need to extend the theoretical description