Nonlocal microscopic theory of quantum friction between parallel metallic slabs

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Author: Vito Despoja
• Author: Pedro M. Echenique
• Author: Marijan Šunjić
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Science; (Department of Physics)
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: NATURAL SCIENCES; Physics

Abstract (english)

We present a new derivation of the friction force between two metallic slabs moving with constant relative parallel velocity, based on T=0 quantum-field theory formalism. By including a fully nonlocal description of dynamically screened electron fluctuations in the slab, and avoiding the usual matching-condition procedure, we generalize previous expressions for the friction force, to which our results reduce in the local limit. Analyzing the friction force calculated in the two local models and in the nonlocal theory, we show that for physically relevant velocities local theories using the plasmon and Drude models of dielectric response are inappropriate to describe friction, which is due to excitation of low-energy electron-hole pairs, which are properly included in nonlocal theory. We also show that inclusion of dissipation in the nonlocal electronic response has negligible influence on friction.

• Keywords (english): quantum friction; nonlocal response; Drude and plasmon models
• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review - international
• Publication version: Published version
• Journal title: Physical review B: Condensed matter and materials physics
• Numbering: vol. 83, no. 20, 205424
• p-ISSN: 1098-0121
• e-ISSN: 1550-235X
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.205424
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:217:348991
• Publication: 2011
• Document URL: http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.205424
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access
• Public note: Copyright (2011) by the American Physical Society. Received 13 December 2010; revised manuscript received 8 April 2011; published 23 May 2011.
• Created on: 2019-11-15 14:31:17