ASYMMETRIC UNBIASED FLUCTUATIONS ARE SUFFICIENT FOR THE OPERATION OF A CORRELATION RATCHET

We study correlation ratchets with mean-zero (unbiased) nonequilibrium noise with a nonvanishing correlation function of odd order greater than one. Asymmetric noise of this type can induce a subtle bias into nonequilibrium systems which can interact with other biasing influences, such as a spatial asymmetry, in a complicated way. Since temporal asymmetry has to be regarded as a generic property of nonequilibrium systems, these effects are expected to be ubiquitous in nature.