Abstract
The dragging velocity of a model solid lubricant (a 1D harmonic chain)
confined between sliding periodic substrates exhibits a phase transition
between two regimes, respectively with quantized and with continuous lubricant
relative velocities 1.
The transition, occurring for increasing
external driving force $F_ext$ acting on the lubricant,
displays a large hysteresis (see figure), and has the features
of depinning transitions in static friction, only taking place on the fly.
Although different in nature, this phenomenon appears isomorphic
to a static Aubry depinning transition in a Frenkel-Kontorova model, the
role of particles now taken by the moving kinks of the
lubricant-substrate interface.
1) A. Vanossi, N. Manini, G. Divitini, G.E. Santoro, and E. Tosatti, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 056101 (2006).
Users
Please
log in to take part in the discussion (add own reviews or comments).