Energy current magnification in coupled oscillator loops

TL;DR

This paper investigates how current magnification occurs in classical oscillator loops, revealing it depends on frequency, asymmetry, pinning potentials, and anharmonicity, with potential implications for sound and heat transmission control.

Contribution

It demonstrates the conditions under which current magnification appears in classical oscillator loops, including the roles of asymmetry, pinning, and anharmonicity, extending quantum mesoscopic insights to classical systems.

Findings

Current magnification occurs at specific frequencies.

Pinning potentials are necessary for observable integrated current effects.

Anharmonicity influences the magnitude and occurrence of current magnification.

Abstract

Motivated by studies on current magnification in quantum mesoscopic systems we consider sound and heat transmission in classical models of oscillator chains. A loop of coupled oscillators is connected to two leads through which one can either transmit monochromatic waves or white noise signal from heat baths. We look for the possibility of current magnification in this system due to some asymmetry introduced between the two arms in the loop. We find that current magnification is indeed obtained for particular frequency ranges. However the integrated current shows the effect only in the presence of a pinning potential for the atoms in the leads. We also study the effect of anharmonicity on current magnification.