AC field induced quantum rectification effect in tunnel junctions

Abstract

We study the appearance of directed current in tunnel junctions, quantum ratchet effect, in the presence of an external ac field f(t). The current is established in a one-dimensional discrete inhomogeneous "tight-binding model". By making use of a symmetry analysis we predict the right choice of f(t) and obtain the directed current as a difference between electron transmission coefficients in opposite directions, $\Delta T=T^{LR}-T^{RL}$. Numerical simulations confirm the predictions of the symmetry analysis and moreover, show that the directed current can be drastically increased by a proper choice of frequency and amplitudes of the ac field f(t).

4 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Physical Review B

References in corpus (5)

• Floquet scattering theory of quantum pumps
• Phase-control of directed diffusion in a symmetric optical lattice
• Quantum ratchet effect for vortices
• Rectification of laser-induced electronic transport through molecules
• Wave scattering by discrete breathers

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Tunable transport with broken space-time symmetries
• Rectifying fluctuations in an optical lattice
• Asymmetric frequency conversion in nonlinear systems driven by a biharmonic pump
• Field-induced barrier transparency of Bloch waves in tight-binding lattices
• Dynamical Control in a Quasi-periodically Modulated Optical Lattice