Quantum Ratchets

Abstract

The concept of thermal ratchets is extended to the system governed by quantum mechanics. We study a tight-binding model with an asymmetric periodic potential contacting with a heat bath under an external oscillating field as a specific example of quantum ratchet. Dynamics of a density operator of this system is studied numerically by using the quantum Liouville equation. Finite net current is found in the non-equilibrium steady state. The direction of the current varies with parameters, in contrast with the classical thermal ratchets.