Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 016101 (2005) [4 pages]Tuning Diffusion and Friction in Microscopic Contacts By Mechanical ExcitationsReceived 1 March 2005; published 29 June 2005 We demonstrate that lateral vibrations of a substrate can dramatically increase surface diffusivity and mobility and reduce friction at the nanoscale. Dilatancy is shown to play an essential role in the dynamics of a nanometer-size tip which interacts with a vibrating surface. We find an abrupt dilatancy transition from the state with a small tip-surface separation to the state with a large separation as the vibration frequency increases. Atomic force microscopy experiments are suggested which can test the predicted effects. © 2005 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.016101
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.016101
PACS:
68.35.Af, 05.40.−a, 46.55.+d
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