Dielectric fluctuations and the origins of noncontact friction

Dielectric fluctuations underlie a wide variety of physical phenomena, from ion mobility in electrolyte solutions and decoherence in quantum systems to dynamics in glass-forming materials and conformational changes in proteins. Here we show that dielectric fluctuations also lead to noncontact fricti...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2006-04, Vol.96 (15), p.156103-156103, Article 156103
Main Authors: Kuehn, Seppe, Loring, Roger F, Marohn, John A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Computer Simulation
Electric Impedance
Friction
Materials Testing - methods
Membranes, Artificial
Models, Chemical
Optics and Photonics
Surface Properties
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Dielectric fluctuations underlie a wide variety of physical phenomena, from ion mobility in electrolyte solutions and decoherence in quantum systems to dynamics in glass-forming materials and conformational changes in proteins. Here we show that dielectric fluctuations also lead to noncontact friction. Using high sensitivity, custom fabricated, single crystal silicon cantilevers we measure energy losses over poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(vinyl acetate), and polystyrene thin films. A new theoretical analysis, relating noncontact friction to the dielectric response of the film, is consistent with our experimental observations. This work constitutes the first direct, mechanical detection of noncontact friction due to dielectric fluctuations.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.156103