High-efficiency deterministic Josephson vortex ratchet

Phys Rev Lett. 2005 Aug 26;95(9):090603. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.090603. Epub 2005 Aug 26.

Abstract

We investigate experimentally a Josephson vortex ratchet--a fluxon in an asymmetric periodic potential driven by a deterministic force with zero time average. The highly asymmetric periodic potential is created in an underdamped annular long Josephson junction by means of a current injector providing an efficiency of the device up to 91%. We measured the ratchet effect for driving forces with different spectral content. For monochromatic high-frequency drive the rectified voltage becomes quantized. At high driving frequencies we also observe chaos, subharmonic dynamics, and voltage reversal due to the inertial mass of a fluxon.