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Unidirectional motion is achieved when a particle, moving under the influence of an underlying noise source, is subjected to a ratchet asymmetric periodic potential. Here, we investigate how deviations from the Gaussian nature of the noise distribution function impacts the average particle's current. The input noise is considered to be produced by a Langevin process including both multiplicative and additive random noise sources. The resulting input random signal has a power-law amplitude distribution and a finite correlation time. These features are controlled by the average of the multiplicative noise. We show that the average particle's velocity depends non-monotonically on the degree of non-Gaussianity of the input noise. It exhibits a maximum at an intermediate value of the effective power-law exponent that characterizes the asymptotic decay of the noise probability distribution function.

The biochemical process for coupling between hydrolysis of ATP and the performance of mechanical work involves a sequence of events. Here we present a two-dimensional ratchet model with a non-conservative impulsive force field. The non-conservative impulsive force that represents the chemical energy consumed in the conformation changing process provides a source of non-equilibrium fluctuation, which is a crucial factor for the Brownian motors and can lead to macroscopic motion.

The energetics of a Brownian heat engine and heat pump driven by position dependent temperature, known as the Büttiker–Landauer heat engine and heat pump, is investigated by numerical simulations of the inertial Langevin equation. We identify parameter values for optimal performance of the heat engine and heat pump. Our results qualitatively differ from approaches based on the overdamped model. The behavior of the heat engine and heat pump, in the linear response regime is examined under finite time conditions and we find that the efficiency is lower than that of an endoreversible engine working under the same condition. Finally, we investigate the role of different potential and temperature profiles to enhance the efficiency of the system. Our simulations show that optimizing the potential and temperature profile leads only to a marginal enhancement of the system performance due to the large entropy production via the Brownian particle's kinetic energy.

Brownian motors based on electric dipoles interaction are studied. Directed motion is induced by the transitions of the electric dipoles potentials between two states. The stationary probability current of the Brownian motors is evaluated. The current is sensitive to temperature and the values of the transition rates between two states. There are optimal values of temperature and the transition rates for the current, and for a suitable choice of the transition rates the current can be reversed.

Based on the general model of thermally-driven Brownian motors, an equivalent cycle system is established and the Onsager coefficients and efficiency at the maximum power output of the system are analytically calculated from non-equilibrium thermodynamics. It is found that the Onsager reciprocity relation holds and the Onsager coefficients are affected by the main irreversibilities existing in practical systems. Only when the heat leak and the kinetic energy change of the particle in the system are negligible, can the determinant of the Onsager matrix vanish. It is also found that in the frame of non-equilibrium thermodynamics, the power output and efficiency of an irreversible Brownian motor can be expressed to be the same form as those of an irreversible Carnot heat engine, so the results obtained here are of general significance. Moreover, these results are used to analyze the performance characteristics of a class of thermally-driven Brownian motors so that some important conclusions in literature may be directly derived from the present paper.

Stochastic Stokes' drift and hypersensitive transport driven by dichotomous noise are theoretically investigated. Explicit mathematical expressions for the asymptotic probability density and drift velocity are derived including the situation in which particles cross unstable fixed points. The results are confirmed by numerical simulations.

The motion of elastically coupled Brownian particles in ratchet-like potentials has attracted much recent interest due to its application to transport processes in many fields, including models of DNA polymers. We consider the influence of the type of interacting force on the transport of two particles in a one-dimensional flashing ratchet. Our aim is to examine whether the common assumption of elastic coupling captures the important features of ratchet transport when the inter-particle forces are more complex. We compare Lennard-Jones type interaction to the classical case of elastically coupled particles. Numerical simulations agree with analytical formulas for the limiting cases where the coupling is very weak or very strong. Parameter values where the Lennard-Jones force is not well approximated by a linearization of the force about the equilibrium distance are identified.