Dynamical chiral symmetry breaking in sliding nanotubes.
We discover in simulations of sliding coaxial nanotubes an unanticipated example of dynamical symmetry breaking taking place at the nanoscale. While both nanotubes are perfectly left-right symmetric and nonchiral, a nonzero angular momentum of phonon origin appears spontaneously at a series of critical sliding velocities, in correspondence with large peaks of the sliding friction. The nonlinear equations governing this phenomenon resemble the rotational instability of a forced string. However, several new elements, exquisitely "nano" appear here, with the crucial involvement of umklapp and of sliding nanofriction.
Zhang
X H
XH
International School for Advanced Studies, Via Beirut 2-4, I-34014 Trieste, Italy.
Santoro
G E
GE
Tartaglino
U
U
Tosatti
E
E
D003198:Computer Simulation; D008956:Models, Chemical; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013816:Thermodynamics
D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon