Quantum tribology: acceleration-induced Stokes friction and Magnus force in correlated Bose fluids

Abstract

The Landau criterion, a cornerstone of quantum fluid dynamics, dictates that dissipation is forbidden for uniform motion below a critical velocity. Yet, the fundamental question of how acceleration reshapes the principles of quantum friction has remained open since Landau and Pitaevskii's seminal works. Here, we establish a theoretical framework for the quantum tribology of non-inertial motion, describing a probe particle undergoing composite translation and rotation within a weakly interacting Bose condensate. Using the nonlinear Gross-Pitaevskii equation, we show that centripetal acceleration fundamentally modifies the energy-momentum constraints on elementary excitations. This leads to a finite drag force in the subsonic regime of the probe particle motion, and a characteristic quantum stick-slip behaviour in the deeply supersonic regime -- a direct generalization of the classical Landau-Pitaevskii picture. Beyond this dissipative response, we uncover a fundamentally distinct mechanism: the nonlinearity of the quantum fluid, combined with the broken symmetry of the trajectory, gives rise to a non-dissipative anomalous transverse force. This quantum Magnus-like response, emerging from the second-order density perturbation, performs no work and is rooted in the geometric asymmetry of the dynamically induced flow. Our findings lay the foundation for a universal program in quantum tribology of accelerated motion, establishing a direct and experimentally testable connection among non-inertial dynamics, nonlinear response, and topological symmetry breaking across platforms ranging from ultracold atoms and exciton-polariton condensates to cosmological analog systems.