Phys Rev Lett. 2004 Dec 03;93(23):230802. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.230802. Epub 2004 Dec 03.
Physical review letters
Peter Reimann, Mykhaylo Evstigneev
PMID: 15601139 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.230802
We propose a theoretical model for friction force microscopy experiments with special emphasis on the realistic description of dissipation and inertia effects. Its main prediction is a nonmonotonic dependence of the friction force upon the sliding velocity of the atomic force microscope tip relative to an atomically flat surface. The region around the force maximum can be approximately described by a universal scaling law and should be observable under experimentally realistic conditions.