Interaction Induced Directed Transport in AC-Driven Periodic Potentials

We demonstrate that repulsive power law interactions can induce directed transport of particles in dissipative, ac-driven periodic potentials, in regimes where the underlying noninteracting system exhibits localized oscillations. Contrasting the well-established single particle ratchet mechanism, this interaction induced transport is based on the collective behaviour of the interacting particles yielding a spatiotemporal nonequilibrium pattern comprising persistent travelling excitations.