Directed transient long-range transport in a slowly driven Hamiltonian system of interacting particles

Abstract

We study the Hamiltonian dynamics of a one-dimensional chain of linearly coupled particles in a spatially periodic potential which is subjected to a time-periodic mono-frequency external field. The average over time and space of the related force vanishes and hence, the system is effectively without bias which excludes any ratchet effect. We pay special attention to the escape of the entire chain when initially all of its units are distributed in a potential well. Moreover for an escaping chain we explore the possibility of the successive generation of a directed flow based on large accelerations. We find that for adiabatic slope-modulations due to the ac-field transient long-range transport dynamics arises whose direction is governed by the initial phase of the modulation. Most strikingly, that for the driven many particle Hamiltonian system directed collective motion is observed provides evidence for the existence of families of transporting invariant tori confining orbits in ballistic channels in the high-dimensional phase spaces.