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Thermal Activation In Atomic Friction: Revisiting The Theoretical Analysis, Yalin Dong, Danny Perez, Hongyu Gao, Ashlie Martini

Dr. Yalin Dong

The effect of thermal activation on atomic-scale friction is often described in the framework of the Prandtl–Tomlinson model. Accurate use of this model relies on parameters that describe the shape of the corrugation potential β and the transition attempt frequency f0. We show that the commonly used form of β for a sinusoidal corrugation potential can lead to underestimation of friction, and that the attempt frequency is not, as is usually assumed, a constant value, but rather varies as the energy landscape evolves. We partially resolve these issues by demonstrating that numerical results can be captured by a model with …