Inverse Currents in Hamiltonian Coupled Transport

Phys Rev Lett. 2020 Mar 20;124(11):110607. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.110607.

Abstract

The occurrence of an inverse current, where the sign of the induced current is opposite to the applied force, is a highly counterintuitive phenomenon. We show that inverse currents in coupled transport (ICC) of energy and particle can occur in a one-dimensional interacting Hamiltonian system when its equilibrium state is perturbed by coupled thermodynamic forces. This seemingly paradoxical result is possible due to the self-organization occurring in the system in response to the applied forces.