Kinks and nanofriction: Structural phases in few-atom chains
The frictional dynamics of interacting surfaces under forced translation are critically dependent on lattice commensurability. The highly nonlinear system of an elastic atomic chain sliding on an incommensurate periodic potential exhibits topological defects, known as kinks, that govern the friction...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Physical Society (APS)
2020
|
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/125693 |
| _version_ | 1811092376923406336 |
|---|---|
| author | Gangloff, Dorian A. Bylinskii, Alexei Vuletic, Vladan |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Gangloff, Dorian A. Bylinskii, Alexei Vuletic, Vladan |
| author_sort | Gangloff, Dorian A. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | The frictional dynamics of interacting surfaces under forced translation are critically dependent on lattice commensurability. The highly nonlinear system of an elastic atomic chain sliding on an incommensurate periodic potential exhibits topological defects, known as kinks, that govern the frictional and translational dynamics. 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 sublattice 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:17:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/125693 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:17:12Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | American Physical Society (APS) |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1256932022-09-29T13:54:11Z Kinks and nanofriction: Structural phases in few-atom chains Gangloff, Dorian A. Bylinskii, Alexei Vuletic, Vladan Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research Laboratory of Electronics The frictional dynamics of interacting surfaces under forced translation are critically dependent on lattice commensurability. The highly nonlinear system of an elastic atomic chain sliding on an incommensurate periodic potential exhibits topological defects, known as kinks, that govern the frictional and translational dynamics. 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 sublattice 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. 2020-06-05T18:20:26Z 2020-06-05T18:20:26Z 2020-03 2020-02 2020-03-30T14:45:16Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 2643-1564 https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/125693 Gangloff, Dorian A., Alexei Bylinskii, and Vladan Vuletic. "Kinks and nanofriction: Structural phases in few-atom chains." Physical Review Research, 2, 1 (2020): 013380. en http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.2.013380 Physical Review Research Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 unported license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 application/pdf American Physical Society (APS) American Physical Society |
| spellingShingle | Gangloff, Dorian A. Bylinskii, Alexei Vuletic, Vladan Kinks and nanofriction: Structural phases in few-atom chains |
| title | Kinks and nanofriction: Structural phases in few-atom chains |
| title_full | Kinks and nanofriction: Structural phases in few-atom chains |
| title_fullStr | Kinks and nanofriction: Structural phases in few-atom chains |
| title_full_unstemmed | Kinks and nanofriction: Structural phases in few-atom chains |
| title_short | Kinks and nanofriction: Structural phases in few-atom chains |
| title_sort | kinks and nanofriction structural phases in few atom chains |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/125693 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gangloffdoriana kinksandnanofrictionstructuralphasesinfewatomchains AT bylinskiialexei kinksandnanofrictionstructuralphasesinfewatomchains AT vuleticvladan kinksandnanofrictionstructuralphasesinfewatomchains |