Transport of underdamped active particles in ratchet potentials

Abstract

We study the rectified transport of underdamped active noninteracting particles in an asymmetric periodic potential. It is found that the ratchet effect of active noninteracting particles occurs in a single direction (along the easy direction of the substrate asymmetry) in the overdamped limit. However, when the inertia is considered, it is possible to observe reversals of the ratchet effect, where the motion is along the hard direction of the substrate asymmetry. By changing the friction coefficient or the self-propulsion force, the average velocity can change its direction several times. Therefore, by suitably tailoring the parameters, underdamped active particles with different self-propulsion forces can move in different directions and can be separated.

7 pages, 7 figures

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• Inertial self-propelled particles
• Role of rotational inertia for collective phenomena in active matter
• Dynamics of active particles with translational and rotational inertia
• Run-and-tumble motion in a linear ratchet potential: Analytic solution, power extraction, and first-passage properties
• Force-Free and Autonomous Active Brownian Ratchets
• Macrotransport of active particles in periodic channels and fields: rectification and dispersion
• Diffusion dynamics of an overdamped active ellipsoidal particle in two dimensions