To detect the quantum friction of empty space, scientists are going for a spin. A twirling nanoparticle, suspended in a laser beam inside of a vacuum, can measure tiny twisting forces, making it the ...

The mechanics of friction may seem the stuff of high-school physics, but only now are some aspects of the problem being understood. A spinning coin is the subject of a new exploration of frictional ...

A 150-nanometer spinning silica ball is the fastest spinner and finest detector of torque ever made. This team of researchers, from Purdue, is following recent developments by ETH Zurich that use a ...

Physicists in the US have made a peculiar discovery about how a small object slides over a rapidly rotating lubricated disk. They have found that if the object is tilted so that it only touches the ...

Friction welding uses frictional heat to forge parts together without melting them. Engineers can use friction welding to join dissimilar materials and tailor a design’s material properties.