Controllable 3D atomic Brownian motor in optical lattices

C. M. Dion¹, P. Sjölund¹, S. J. H. Petra¹, S. Jonsell¹, M. Nylén¹, L. Sanchez-Palencia², and A. Kastberg¹

¹Department of Physics, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
²Laboratoire Charles Fabry de l'Institut d'Optique, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Campus Polytechnique, RD-128, F-91127 Palaiseau cedex, France

We study a Brownian motor, based on cold atoms in optical lattices, where atomic motion can be induced in a controlled manner in an arbitrary direction, by rectification of isotropic random fluctuations. In contrast with ratchet mechanisms, our Brownian motor operates in a potential that is spatially and temporally symmetric, in apparent contradiction to the Curie principle. Simulations, based on the Fokker-Planck equation, allow us to gain knowledge on the qualitative behaviour of our Brownian motor. Studies of Brownian motors, and in particular ones with unique control properties, are of fundamental interest because of the role they play in protein motors and their potential applications in nanotechnology. In particular, our system opens the way to the study of quantum Brownian motors.

To appear in The European Physical Journal Special Topics.

This article has been published in The European Physical Journal Special Topics 159, 11 (2008).

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