Current behavior of a quantum Hamiltonian ratchet in resonance

Abstract

We investigate the ratchet current that appears in a kicked Hamiltonian system when the period of the kicks corresponds to the regime of quantum resonance. In the classical analog, a spatial-temporal symmetry should be broken to obtain a net directed current. It was recently discovered that in quantum resonance the temporal symmetry can be kept, and we prove that breaking the spatial symmetry is a necessary condition to find this effect. Moreover, we show numerically and analytically how the direction of the motion is dramatically influenced by the strength of the kicking potential and the value of the period. By increasing the strength of the interaction this direction changes periodically, providing us with un-expected source of current reversals in this quantum model. These reversals depend on the kicking period also, though this behavior is theoretically more difficult to analyze. Finally, we generalize the discussion to the case of a nonuniform initial condition. © 2007 The American Physical Society.