English

Coherent ratchets in driven Bose-Einstein condensates

Quantum Gases 2009-11-12 v2

Abstract

We study the response of a Bose-Einstein condensate to an unbiased periodic driving potential. By controlling the space and time symmetries of the driving we show how a directed current can be induced, producing a coherent quantum ratchet. Weak driving induces a regular behavior that is strongly governed by the interparticle interaction. Breaking both space and time symmetries is required to produce current flow. For strong driving the behavior becomes chaotic. The resulting effective irreversibility renders the space asymmetry sufficient to produce the ratchet effect, although the system is completely coherent.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0908.0692,
  title  = {Coherent ratchets in driven Bose-Einstein condensates},
  author = {C. E. Creffield and F. Sols},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0908.0692},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

5 pages, 4 eps figures. Minor changes, this version to be published in PRL

R2 v1 2026-06-21T13:32:44.669Z