Ponderomotive ratchet in a uniform magnetic field

I. Y. Dodin, N. J. Fisch

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

We show how a ratchet effect, generally used in systems with periodic potentials, can also be practiced on charged particles by an ac field alone, in a background magnetic field near the cyclotron resonance. The effect relies entirely on the spatial inhomogeneity of the high-frequency drive, which produces a deterministic asymmetric ponderomotive barrier for undamped particles. Such a barrier can reflect particles incident from one side while transmitting those incident from the opposite side, hence acting somewhat like a Maxwell demon. The necessary fields are perhaps most easily realized in a plasma, though the effect is more general.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number046602
JournalPhysical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
Volume72
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2005

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
  • Statistics and Probability

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