Sliding friction: the contribution from defects

Abstract

We study the influence of defects on the sliding friction for one-, two-, and three-dimensional elastic solids. We show that for 1D and 2D solids, perturbation theory breaks down at low sliding velocity. For a 1D solid with a low concentration of point defects we present an exact solution for the sliding friction, valid for arbitrary temperature and strength of the defect potential. We discuss the role of point defects in the linear (in the external driving force) sliding friction for Xe monolayers on metal surfaces.