We investigate a one-dimensional electron liquid with two point scatterers of different strength. In the presence of electron interactions, the nonlinear conductance is shown to depend on the current direction. The resulting asymmetry of the transpor
t characteristic gives rise to a ratchet effect, i.e., the rectification of a dc current for an applied ac voltage. In the case of strong repulsive interactions, the ratchet current grows in a wide voltage interval with decreasing ac voltage. In the regime of weak interaction the current-voltage curve exhibits oscillatory behavior. Our results apply to single-band quantum wires and to tunneling between quantum Hall edges.
