Eur. Phys. J. B (2015) 88: 22
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2014-50757-0

Regular Article

Transport of interacting self-propelled Brownian particles in a common ratchet potential

Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, School of Physics and Telecommunication Engineering, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, P.R. China

^a e-mail: chinachenqun@126.com

Received: 30 October 2014
Received in final form: 29 November 2014
Published online: 19 January 2015

Abstract

Transport of self-propelled particles coupled via springs is studied in the presence of a piecewise linear potential. By the means of numerical simulations, we find that the interaction between particles plays a key role in the transport. On increasing the spring constant, the average velocity decreases, and finally tends to zero. There exists an optimal value of the self-propelled velocity at which the average velocity takes its maximal value. When the number of particles tends to infinity, the ratcheting transport disappears. The results we have presented contribute further to understanding the transport of interacting active particles.