A01 Friction in strongly correlated systems under active control (Samwer, Volkert)

The goal of this project is to understand and control the mechanisms by which the excitations created by friction are converted to heat in several model systems. Recently, it has been observed that friction depends on the available elementary excitations in the material being tested and not only on the condition of the surface. We aim to systematically vary the available excitations in multilayers and manganites by tailoring the vibrational modes of the material through nanostructuring, by applying coupled elastic waves, and by inducing phase transitions that change the phonon, electronic, or spin degrees of freedom.