Current Reversals in Chaotic Ratchets

Abstract

The problem of the classical deterministic dynamics of a particle in a periodic asymmetric potential of the ratchet type is addressed. When the inertial term is taken into account, the dynamics can be chaotic and modify the transport properties. By a comparison between the bifurcation diagram and the current, we identify the origin of the current reversal as a bifurcation from a chaotic to a periodic regime. Close to this bifurcation, we observed trajectories revealing intermittent chaos and anomalous deterministic diffusion. We extend our previous analysis of this problem to include multiple current reversal and the orbits in phase space.