Directed ratchet transport of cold atoms and fluxons driven by biharmonic fields: A unified view

Phys Rev E. 2021 Jul;104(1-1):014120. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.104.014120.

Abstract

This paper discusses two retrodictions of the theory of ratchet universality which explain previous experimental results concerning directed ratchet transport of cold atoms in dissipative optical lattices in one case and of fluxons in uniform annular Josephson junctions in the other, both driven by biharmonic fields. It has to be emphasized that these retrodictions are in sharp contrast with the current standard explanation of such experimental results, and they offer optimal control of the ratchetlike motion of such entities. New experimental proposals with cold atoms and fluxons are discussed, providing additional tests for novel predictions from ratchet universality.