DETERMINISTIC COLLECTIVE DIRECTIONAL TRANSPORT IN ONE-DIMENSIONAL FLASHING RATCHET POTENTIALS

Abstract

In the absence of thermal fluctuations and other external forces, a single particle will be pinned at the bottom of a flashing ratchet potential under the overdamped condition. Unidirectional motion becomes possible if there exist interactions among particles. In this paper, the overdamped directed motion of a dimer with two heads in a flashing ratchet potential is investigated. We propose the mechanism to reveal how two heads of the dimer cooperate and help each other to move processively. The necessary condition of directed motion is analytically given, which is in good agreement with numerical simulation results. Furthermore, the resonant steps of the current are observed and discussed. The scenario and the results proposed in this paper may shed light on the elaborations of artificial molecular motors.