Rotation-translation coupling of a double-headed brownian motor in a traveling-wave potential

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a double-headed Brownian motor with translational and rotational motion behaves in a traveling-wave potential, revealing conditions for directed transport, current reversal mechanisms, and effects of noise types.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of the coupled translation-rotation dynamics in a traveling-wave potential, highlighting current reversal phenomena and noise effects, including Levy noise.

Findings

Traveling wave enables directed transport in the system.

Current reversal occurs by modulating angular frequency, noise, force, and rod length.

Stochastic resonance and noise type influence the current behavior.

Abstract

Considering a double-headed Brownian motor moving with both translational and rotational degrees of freedom, we investigate the directed transport properties of the system in a traveling-wave potential. It is found that the traveling wave provides the essential condition of the directed transport for the system, and at an appropriate angular frequency, the positive current can be optimized. A general current reversal appears by modulating the angular frequency of the traveling wave, noise intensity, external driving force and the rod length. By transforming the dynamical equation in traveling-wave potential into that in a tilted potential, the mechanism of current reversal is analyzed. For both cases of Gaussian and Levy noises, the currents show similar dependence on the parameters. Moreover, the current in the tilted potential shows a typical stochastic resonance effect. The external driving force has also a resonance-like effect on the current in the tilted potential. But the current in the traveling-wave potential exhibits the reverse behaviors of that in the tilted potential. Besides, the currents obviously depend on the stability index of the Levy noise under certain conditions.