Symmetry breaking: Abnormal transport induced by mass modulation

Area of Science:

• Nonlinear dynamics
• Statistical physics
• Condensed matter physics

Background:

• Investigating particle transport in periodic potentials is crucial for understanding various physical systems.
• Previous studies often assume constant particle mass, limiting the scope of transport phenomena.
• Dynamic changes in particle properties, like mass, can lead to complex and unexpected behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the transport dynamics of an inertial particle with sinusoidally modulated mass in a symmetric periodic potential.
• To identify and analyze novel transport phenomena induced by mass modulation.
• To investigate the underlying physical mechanisms of observed transport behaviors, including current reversals and absolute negative mobilities.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations were employed to model the system.
• The particle's motion was analyzed under varying amplitudes and frequencies of mass modulation.
• External bias was applied to study its influence on transport properties.

Main Results:

• Mass modulation was found to induce abnormal transport, unlike the case with constant mass where no net current appears.
• Multiple current reversals (CR) were observed in the absence of external bias, with the direction of mean velocity changing with modulation parameters.
• Multiple absolute negative mobilities (ANM) were observed in the presence of external bias.

Conclusions:

• Sinusoidal mass modulation is a key factor in generating complex transport phenomena in periodic potentials.
• The observed multiple current reversals are attributed to the temporal symmetry breaking of the system.
• The study provides detailed analysis of the physical mechanisms behind multiple absolute negative mobilities, offering insights into nonlinear transport.