Eur. Phys. J. D 44, 381-388 (2007)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2007-00233-3

Characterisation of a three-dimensional Brownian motor in optical lattices

Department of Physics, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden

Corresponding author: ^a peder.sjolund@physics.umu.se

Received: 20 February 2007
Revised: 16 April 2007
Published online: 13 July 2007

Abstract

We present here a detailed study of the behaviour of a three dimensional Brownian motor based on cold atoms in a double optical lattice [P. Sjölund et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 190602 (2006)]. This includes both experiments and numerical simulations of a Brownian particle. The potentials used are spatially and temporally symmetric, but combined spatiotemporal symmetry is broken by phase shifts and asymmetric transfer rates between potentials. The diffusion of atoms in the optical lattices is rectified and controlled both in direction and speed along three dimensions. We explore a large range of experimental parameters, where irradiances and detunings of the optical lattice lights are varied within the dissipative regime. Induced drift velocities in the order of one atomic recoil velocity have been achieved.