Frictional electrostatic force on the AFM probe near a surface
When solving nonrelativistic electrodynamic problem, we have obtained the general formulas for the tangential dissipative force (the force of electrostatic friction) of an axially symmetric probe moving parallel to a planar surface of a homogeneous plate or plates coated with thin films of materials with different combinations of dielectric properties. A numerical algorithm and a program for calculating the electrostatic friction force have been developed. As an example, the friction force of a metal ball near a metal surface is calculated with a fixed potential difference between them. Comparison of the calculated friction forces with the experimental values of the dissipative forces under the conditions of electrostatic interaction reveals a discrepancy of 8 orders of magnitude to a smaller extent, as in the theoretical estimates of other authors. The dependence of the frictional force on the distance to the surface is analogous to that observed in the experiment.