Abstract
Atomic force microscopy provides direct atomic-scale access to friction. In this paper, unexpected and potentially dramatic consequences of the tip elasticity are discussed. Under certain natural conditions an essentially new, nontrivial regime can be entered. Although the tip appears to perform typical stick-slip motion, the tip-surface contact is fully “lubricated” by fast thermal motion of the tip apex. The interpretation of the observations needs to be changed completely in this case.
- Received 13 July 2006
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.166103
©2006 American Physical Society