Ratchet transport for a chain of interacting charged particles -: art. no. 016104

We study analytically and numerically the overdamped, deterministic dynamics of a chain of charged, interacting particles driven by a longitudinal alternating electric field and additionally interacting with a smooth ratchet potential. We derive the equations of motion, analyze the general properties of their solutions and find the drift criterion for chain motion. For ratchet potentials of the form of a double-sine and a phase-modulated sine it is demonstrated that both, a so-called integer and fractional transport of the chain, can occur. Explicit results for the directed chain transport for these two classes of ratchet potentials are presented.