  We report the first experimental observation of phase-locked motion of a
topological soliton at a nonzero average velocity in a periodically modulated
lossy medium, under the action of an ac force with no dc component [the effect
was predicted by G. Filatrella, B.A. Malomed, and R.D. Parmentier, Phys. Lett.
A 198, 43 (1995)]. The velocity is related by a resonant condition to the
driving frequency. The observation is made in terms of the current-voltage,
I(V), characteristics for a fluxon trapped in an annular Josephson junction
placed into dc magnetic field. Large zero-crossing constant-voltage steps,
exactly corresponding to the resonantly locked soliton motion at different
orders of the resonance, are found on the experimental I(V) curves. A measured
dependence of the size of the steps vs. the external magnetic field is in good
agreement with predictions of an analytical model based on the balance equation
for the fluxon's energy. The effect has a potential application as a
low-frequency voltage standard. The work was supported by a grant from the
German-Israeli Foundation.
