Fluctuation-induced couplings at the solid-liquid interface - Baptiste Coquinot (LPENS, Paris)

This presentation explores couplings at the solid-liquid interface, arising from fluctuations in the microscopic degrees of freedom of both the solid and the liquid. We describe in which contexts these couplings dominate solid-liquid friction, then impacting hydrodynamics at the nanoscale, and how they can be used to engineer the friction coefficient. We show that the solid modes are impacted by a flow at their surface, driving them out of equilibrium. This modifies the friction, so that the study of liquid dynamics now requires describing the dynamics of the solid to which it is coupled. In particular, it becomes possible to engineer the friction by changing the electronic properties of the solid. Moreover, it also becomes possible to transfer a flow throughout a solid and thus to make flows forbidden by standard hydrodynamics. Finally, we prove that it is possible to convert the friction force into an electrical power, thus using these couplings to make a promising hydroelectric generator. 

Contact: Benoit Coasne