Transport in a fluctuating potential

We study the overdamped motion of a particle in a fluctuating one‐dimensional periodic potential. The potential has no inversion symmetry, and the fluctuations are correlated in time. At finite temperatures, a stationary current is induced. The amplitude and the direction of the current depend on the details of the noise process that is responsible for the potential fluctuations. We discuss several limiting situations for a general case. Furthermore we calculate the current in the case of a piecewise linear potential for different noise processes and parameters. A detailed discussion of the results is given, including a discussion of the mechanism that is responsible for the current reversal. We compare the present results with results for transport in a ratchet‐like potential due to a fluctuating force. We also discuss the biological relevance of the present models for molecular motors. We present a model for the motion of molecular motors that explains why similar molecular motors can move in different directions.