Broken space-time symmetries and mechanisms of rectification of ac fields by nonlinear (non)adiabatic response

TL;DR

This paper investigates how ac fields can break space-time symmetries in low-dimensional systems, leading to rectification effects explained through nonlinear and nonadiabatic responses, with a focus on particles in periodic potentials.

Contribution

It introduces a symmetry-based framework to understand rectification mechanisms in systems driven by ac fields, emphasizing nonlinear and nonadiabatic effects.

Findings

Symmetry breaking by ac fields causes nonzero average observables.

Nonlinear (non)adiabatic response explains rectification.

Analysis of a particle in a periodic potential illustrates the mechanisms.

Abstract

We consider low-dimensional dynamical systems exposed to a heat bath and to additional ac fields. The presence of these ac fields may lead to a breaking of certain spatial or temporal symmetries which in turn cause nonzero averages of relevant observables. Nonlinear (non)adiabatic response is employed to explain the effect. We consider a case of a particle in a periodic potential as an example and discuss the relevant symmetry breakings and the mechanisms of rectification of the current in such a system.