We study the transport properties (currents) of deterministic underdamped ratchets in terms of phase locking dynamics. The occurrence of reverse currents is interpreted in terms of different stability properties of the periodic rotating orbits and is shown to exist also in the absence of bifurcations from chaos to periodic motion. We briefly discuss the effects of noise on this phase locked dynamics.

• Received 13 March 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.62.1988