Berlin 2008 – scientific programme

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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik

DY 21: Nonlinear dynamics, synchronization and chaos III

DY 21.1: Talk

Wednesday, February 27, 2008, 16:45–17:00, MA 001

Soliton ratchets in inhomogeneous sine-Gordon systems — •Vera Stehr, Patric Müller, and Franz G. Mertens — Physikalisches Institut, Universität Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth

In recent years the particle ratchet effect has been generalised to extended systems where solitons play the role of particles. Unidirectional motion of solitons can take place although the applied force f(t) has zero average in time. In this talk we consider a damped and driven sine-Gordon-system with an additive inhomogeneity: φ_tt − φ_xx + sinφ = − β φ_t + f(t) + g(x). The periodically repeated function g(x) consists of positive and negative boxes with zero spatial average. This inhomogeneity causes the spatial asymmetry which allows for the ratchet effect. We examine the ratchet transport in this system using a collective coordinate approach and analyse the influence of different collective coordinates on the dynamics of the soliton. The results are fully confirmed by simulations.