https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2004-00208-8
Signal mixing in a ratchet device: commensurability and current control
1
Frontier Research System, The Institute of Physical and
Chemical Research (RIKEN), Wako-shi, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
2
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy
3
Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, Universitätsstrasse 1,
86135 Augsburg, Germany
4
Center for Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics, University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1120, USA
Corresponding author: a nori@umich.edu
Received:
11
April
2004
Published online:
13
July
2004
Rectification current in overdamped ratchets can be easily controlled by applying two driving signals and tuning either their relative phase or their frequency ratio. The interplay of the two inputs generates intriguing transport mechanisms that can be implemented to optimize shuttling and separation of particles in a variety of physical and technological applications.
PACS: 05.40.-a – Fluctuation phenomena, random processes, noise, and Brownian motion / 05.60.Cd – Classical transport / 87.16.Uv – Active transport processes; ion channels
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2004