Standard and Bipolar Rectification in Tilted Periodically-Driven Quantum Systems

Abstract

Developing mechanisms to control transport in correlated quantum systems is essential for advancing quantum circuit technologies. In this work, we establish a rectification mechanism for both particle and energy flow in a fermionic system coupled to external baths, in the presence of a tilted potential modulated locally by a time-periodic drive. The drive generates particle and energy currents even in the absence of chemical or thermal bias between the baths. These drive-induced currents are enhanced at resonant frequencies at which avoided crossings occur in the Floquet quasienergy spectrum, reflecting the role of the Floquet states as intermediate channels for transport. Once a bias between the baths is introduced, the drive-induced current contribution can reinforce, compete with, or even cancel the bias-induced contribution. These effects enable rectification in the non-interacting regime, which we quantify via the rectification coefficient $\mathcal{R}$. This coefficient measures the asymmetry between transport up the tilt (forward bias) and down the tilt (reverse bias). In addition to standard rectification, where transport is reduced under reverse bias, we identify a regime of bipolar rectification, in which the current flows only up the tilt regardless of the bias polarity. At the boundary between standard and bipolar regimes, the system achieves perfect rectification, corresponding to complete suppression of the reverse-bias current. In the presence of interactions between particles, the parameter region that supports bipolar rectification is enlarged and $\mathcal{R}$ can be enhanced by many orders of magnitude. Our results establish a rectification mechanism for particle and energy transport that can be experimentally realized in condensed matter and cold atom systems.