Slow dynamics in atomic-force microscopy

A temporal-hybrid molecular simulation method is proposed to simulate the slow-scanning dynamics of a cantilever in the atomic-force microscope (AFM). The method is compared with classical molecular-dynamics simulation in which energy modes between the cantilever and the atomic substrate are coupled. For a large-mass cantilever in AFM with a resonant frequency far less than the atomic-vibration frequencies, the hybrid results show regular stick-slip or smooth friction dissipation depending on the cantilever spring constants, as observed in AFM experiments.