Strongly Temperature Dependent Sliding Friction for a Superconducting Interface

TL;DR

This study observes a sharp decrease in sliding friction at the superconducting transition temperature of lead, linked to a reduction in Ohmic heating caused by electronic screening currents.

Contribution

It reveals the temperature-dependent friction behavior at a superconducting interface and attributes the effect to changes in electronic screening currents and Ohmic heating.

Findings

Friction drops sharply at the superconducting transition temperature.

The decrease is linked to reduced Ohmic heating due to electronic screening.

Superconductivity influences mechanical friction at the interface.

Abstract

A sudden drop in mechanical friction, between an adsorbed nitrogen monolayer and a lead substrate, occurs when the lead passes through the superconducting transition temperature. We attribute this effect to a sudden drop at the superconducting transition temperature of the substrate Ohmic heating. The Ohmic heating is due to the electronic screening current that results from the sliding adsorbed film.