title: Friction and noise-induced coherent structures in boundary lubrication
abstract: We examine the effect of stick-slip boundary conditions on the friction generated by a molecularly thin layer of a liquid lubricant separating two plates. For one-dimensional compressible flows, noise-induced coherent dissipative structures on a micron scale are generated due to cooperation between the external drive and the thermal noise. As a function of the thermal noise these structures show a peak in their amplitudes similar to stochastic resonance. At low velocities a reduction in friction with increasing thermal noise is observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tovstopyat-Nelip
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Hentschel