Phononic frictional losses of a particle crossing a crystal: linear-response theory

TL;DR

This paper develops an analytical linear-response theory to quantify phononic frictional losses experienced by a particle sliding through a crystal, with results validated against simulations showing strong agreement.

Contribution

It introduces a new analytical approach to calculate phononic friction in weak-coupling sliding, bridging theory and simulation for the first time.

Findings

Explicit friction force expressions derived as a function of particle speed.

Strong agreement between analytical results and simulations.

Enhanced understanding of phononic dissipation mechanisms.

Abstract

We address weak-coupling frictional sliding with phononic dissipation by means of analytic many-body techniques. Our model consists of a particle (the "slider") moving through a two- or three-dimensional crystal and interacting weakly with its atoms, and therefore exciting phonons. By means of linear-response theory we obtain explicit expressions for the friction force slowing down the slider as a function of its speed, and compare them to the friction obtained by simulations, demonstrating a remarkable accord.