We show by numerical simulations that a non rotationally symmetric body, whose orientation is fixed and whose center of mass can only slide along a rectilinear guide, under the effect of inelastic collisions with a surrounding gas of particles, displays directed motion. We present a theory which explains how the lack of time reversal induced by the inelasticity of collisions can be exploited to generate a steady average drift. In the limit of an heavy ratchet, we derive an effective Langevin equation whose parameters depend on the microscopic properties of the system and obtain a fairly good quantitative agreement between the theoretical predictions and simulations concerning mobility, diffusivity and average velocity.
%0 Journal Article
%1 ratchet
%A Costantini, Giulio
%A Puglisi, Andrea
%A Marconi, Umberto Marini Bettolo
%D 2007
%J Phys. Rev. E
%K physics ratchet
%T A Granular Brownian Ratchet Model
%U http://xxx.sissa.it/abs/cond-mat/0611140
%X We show by numerical simulations that a non rotationally symmetric body, whose orientation is fixed and whose center of mass can only slide along a rectilinear guide, under the effect of inelastic collisions with a surrounding gas of particles, displays directed motion. We present a theory which explains how the lack of time reversal induced by the inelasticity of collisions can be exploited to generate a steady average drift. In the limit of an heavy ratchet, we derive an effective Langevin equation whose parameters depend on the microscopic properties of the system and obtain a fairly good quantitative agreement between the theoretical predictions and simulations concerning mobility, diffusivity and average velocity.
@article{ratchet,
abstract = {We show by numerical simulations that a non rotationally symmetric body, whose orientation is fixed and whose center of mass can only slide along a rectilinear guide, under the effect of inelastic collisions with a surrounding gas of particles, displays directed motion. We present a theory which explains how the lack of time reversal induced by the inelasticity of collisions can be exploited to generate a steady average drift. In the limit of an heavy ratchet, we derive an effective Langevin equation whose parameters depend on the microscopic properties of the system and obtain a fairly good quantitative agreement between the theoretical predictions and simulations concerning mobility, diffusivity and average velocity.},
added-at = {2007-06-18T05:49:44.000+0200},
author = {Costantini, Giulio and Puglisi, Andrea and Marconi, Umberto Marini Bettolo},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2317ab1903cb0d496b4e1dff4f5d545bc/stefano},
interhash = {9bce9f8f01d4d87a7bc89272320d0495},
intrahash = {317ab1903cb0d496b4e1dff4f5d545bc},
journal = {Phys. Rev. E},
keywords = {physics ratchet},
note = {in press},
timestamp = {2007-06-18T05:49:44.000+0200},
title = {A Granular Brownian Ratchet Model},
url = {http://xxx.sissa.it/abs/cond-mat/0611140},
year = 2007
}