Quantum tribology: acceleration-induced Stokes friction and Magnus force in correlated Bose fluids
Abstract
The Landau criterion, a cornerstone of quantum fluid dynamics, dictates that dissipation is forbidden for uniform motion below a critical velocity. Yet, the fundamental question of how acceleration reshapes the principles of quantum friction has remained open since Landau and Pitaevskii's seminal works. Here, we establish a theoretical framework for the quantum tribology of non-inertial motion, describing a probe particle undergoing composite translation and rotation within a weakly interacting Bose condensate. Using the nonlinear Gross-Pitaevskii equation, we show that centripetal acceleration fundamentally modifies the energy-momentum constraints on elementary excitations. This leads to a finite drag force in the subsonic regime of the probe particle motion, and a characteristic quantum stick-slip behaviour in the deeply supersonic regime -- a direct generalization of the classical Landau-Pitaevskii picture. Beyond this dissipative response, we uncover a fundamentally distinct mechanism: the nonlinearity of the quantum fluid, combined with the broken symmetry of the trajectory, gives rise to a non-dissipative anomalous transverse force. This quantum Magnus-like response, emerging from the second-order density perturbation, performs no work and is rooted in the geometric asymmetry of the dynamically induced flow. Our findings lay the foundation for a universal program in quantum tribology of accelerated motion, establishing a direct and experimentally testable connection among non-inertial dynamics, nonlinear response, and topological symmetry breaking across platforms ranging from ultracold atoms and exciton-polariton condensates to cosmological analog systems.
Related
- Tribology at the Flip of a Switch: Dynamic Control of Friction and Adhesion with Surface Phonon Polaritons
- Fluctuation-induced ionic friction at solid-electrolyte interfaces
- The role of distributed friction dynamics on heave-induced motion of offshore drilling systems: modelling, analysis, and simulations
- Self-Interacting Dark Matter-Induced Dynamical Friction and Its Imprint on EMRI Gravitational Waves
- Gravitational quantum friction and the information-loss problem
BibTeX
@misc{kovalev2026quantum,
title = {{Quantum tribology: acceleration-induced Stokes friction and Magnus force in correlated Bose fluids}},
author = {V. M. Kovalev and A. N. Osipov and O. V. Kibis and I. G. Savenko},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2608.07912},
eprint = {2608.07912},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.07912},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Quantum tribology: acceleration-induced Stokes friction and Magnus force in correlated Bose fluids
AU - V. M. Kovalev
AU - A. N. Osipov
AU - O. V. Kibis
AU - I. G. Savenko
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2608.07912
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.07912
AB - The Landau criterion, a cornerstone of quantum fluid dynamics, dictates that dissipation is forbidden for uniform motion below a critical velocity. Yet, the fundamental question of how acceleration reshapes the principles of quantum friction has remained open since Landau and Pitaevskii's seminal works. Here, we establish a theoretical framework for the quantum tribology of non-inertial motion, describing a probe particle undergoing composite translation and rotation within a weakly interacting Bose condensate. Using the nonlinear Gross-Pitaevskii equation, we show that centripetal acceleration fundamentally modifies the energy-momentum constraints on elementary excitations. This leads to a finite drag force in the subsonic regime of the probe particle motion, and a characteristic quantum stick-slip behaviour in the deeply supersonic regime -- a direct generalization of the classical Landau-Pitaevskii picture. Beyond this dissipative response, we uncover a fundamentally distinct mechanism: the nonlinearity of the quantum fluid, combined with the broken symmetry of the trajectory, gives rise to a non-dissipative anomalous transverse force. This quantum Magnus-like response, emerging from the second-order density perturbation, performs no work and is rooted in the geometric asymmetry of the dynamically induced flow. Our findings lay the foundation for a universal program in quantum tribology of accelerated motion, establishing a direct and experimentally testable connection among non-inertial dynamics, nonlinear response, and topological symmetry breaking across platforms ranging from ultracold atoms and exciton-polariton condensates to cosmological analog systems.
ER -