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Description
We present a joint experimental and theoretical study of a ratchet implemented in arrays of evanescently coupled plasmonic waveguides with tailored losses. In this setup the time-periodic dissipation is the only active mechanism and notably, we find better rectified transport and lower losses in the transmitted signal with increased local dissipation. Using Floquet theory, we uncover a driving regime that allows efficient directional transport for suitable driving frequencies and loss rates, which are linked to linear quasienergy bands with minimal losses. These regions are separated from non-resonant behavior by sharp transitions with characteristic exceptional points in the spectrum. Direct experimental observation of the Floquet-dissipative ratchet effect using a combination of real- and Fourier-space leakage radiation microscopy is provided.
