Perspective: How to understand electronic friction

Area of Science:

• Physical Chemistry
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Surface Science

Background:

• Electronic friction arises from nuclear motion interacting with electronic states, acting as a drag force.
• This phenomenon is relevant across diverse systems like surface reactions, electrochemistry, and molecular electronics.
• Existing literature presents multiple formulations of electronic friction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the historical development of electronic friction.
• To identify and present a single, unifying form of Markovian electronic friction.
• To analyze the impact of electron-electron interactions on frictional effects.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of electronic friction theories and applications.
• Theoretical analysis to unify different electronic friction formalisms.
• Focus on incorporating electron-electron interactions into friction models.

Main Results:

• A unified, single form for Markovian electronic friction has been identified.
• The critical role of electron-electron interactions in electronic friction is highlighted.
• Different approaches to modeling dynamics using electronic friction are compared.

Conclusions:

• Electronic friction provides a valuable correction to the Born-Oppenheimer approximation.
• The unified Markovian form simplifies the description of frictional effects.
• Understanding electron-electron interactions is key to accurately modeling dynamics with electronic friction.