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arXiv · 1910.07088

Kinks and Nanofriction: Structural Phases in Few-Atom Chains

Dorian A. Gangloff·Alexei Bylinskii·Vladan Vuletić
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Abstract

The frictional dynamics of interacting surfaces under forced translation are critically dependent on lattice commensurability. Performing experiments in a trapped-ion friction emulator, we observe two distinct structural and frictional phases: a commensurate high-friction phase where the ions stick-slip simultaneously over the lattice, and an incommensurate low-friction phase where the propagation of a kink breaks that simultaneity. We experimentally track the kink's propagation with atom-by-atom and sub-lattice site resolution, and show that its velocity increases with commensurability. Our results elucidate the commensurate-incommensurate transition and the connection between the appearance of kinks and the reduction of friction in a finite system, with important consequences for controlling friction at nanocontacts.

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Dorian A. Gangloff, Alexei Bylinskii, Vladan Vuletić. 2019-10-15. Kinks and Nanofriction: Structural Phases in Few-Atom Chains. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevresearch.2.013380

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