Instability and dissipation dynamics in atomic scale friction

Abstract:

Using two different methods, Frenkel-Kontorova (FK) model and equivalent coupled-oscillator model based on two-mass-two-spring model, we solve the dynamics of energy dissipation for several types of coupling between the tip and the substrate. We find the unstable energy dissipation phenomenon on the nanoscale and present a microscopic analysis of properties of energy dissipation via average power dissipated and displacement of the particles relative to the center of mass for sinusoidal potential as well as multiple-well periodic substrate potentials. The results are compared with the observations in recent experiments based on friction force microscope (FFM).