Quantum “contact” friction: The contribution of kinetic friction coefficient from thermal fluctuations

Abstract A thermal model of kinetic friction is assigned to a classical loaded particle moving on a fluctuating smooth surface. A sinusoidal wave resembles surface fluctuations with a relaxation time. The Hamiltonian is approximated to the mean energy of the wave describing a system of Harmonic oscillators. The quantization of amplitudes yields in terms of annihilation and creation operators multiplied by a quantum phase. Further, we consider acoustic dispersion relation and evaluate the friction coefficient from the force autocorrelation function. While the sliding particle remains classical describing a nano-particle or a tip with negligible quantum effects like tunneling or delocalization in the wave function, the quantized model of the surface fluctuations results in the temperature dependence of the kinetic friction coefficient. It follows an asymptotic value for higher temperatures and supper-slipperiness at low temperatures.