Hopping motion of lattice gases through nonsymmetric potentials under strong bias conditions

TL;DR

This paper investigates the hopping motion of lattice gases in nonsymmetric potentials under strong bias, revealing rectification effects and analyzing current behavior through explicit solutions, mean-field approximations, and simulations.

Contribution

It provides an explicit solution for a two-particle model, studies extended systems with sawtooth potentials, and compares mean-field approximations with numerical results under strong bias.

Findings

Rectification effects observed in extended systems

Mean-field approximation aligns with numerical simulations under strong bias

Current behavior depends on concentration and bias in nonsymmetric potentials

Abstract

The hopping motion of lattice gases through potentials without mirror-reflection symmetry is investigated under various bias conditions. The model of 2 particles on a ring with 4 sites is solved explicitly; the resulting current in a sawtooth potential is discussed. The current of lattice gases in extended systems consisting of periodic repetitions of segments with sawtooth potentials is studied for different concentrations and values of the bias. Rectification effects are observed, similar to the single-particle case. A mean-field approximation for the current in the case of strong bias acting against the highest barriers in the system is made and compared with numerical simulations. The particle-vacancy symmetry of the model is discussed.