Abstract: Non-equilibrium physical processes remain one of the major open challenges in physics. At the macroscale, our understanding of these systems relies heavily on empirical laws derived from observation rather than fundamental universal principles. However, at the nanoscale, these laws break down, giving rise to novel exotic phenomena that open new opportunities for designing materials with unprecedented properties. In this talk, we focus on two key non-equilibrium processes – friction and nanoscale heat transport – which together account for over 30% [1,2] of global energy consumption. Using atomistic simulations in synergy with experiments, we explore how the breakdown of their empirical macroscale laws reveals new emergent physics, linking the "wiggling and jiggling" of atoms [3] to novel mechanisms. Specifically, we demonstrate how a surprising violation of the first law of friction enables the control of ultra-low friction states (superlubricity)[4]. Likewise, we show how the breakdown of Fourier’s law[5] gives rise to superdiffusive heat transport in micrometer-long wires. Finally, we highlight an intimate, yet largely unexplored, connection between these two processes – friction and heat transport – at the nanoscale.
[1] Holmberg et al. Friction 5, 263 (2017); [2] Cooper et al. Nature Energy 8, pp. 1328 (2023); [3] Feynman, R. Engineering & Science 23, 22–36 (1960); [4] Vilhena et al. Physical Review Letters 128 , 216102 (2022) ; Nano Letters 23, pp 4693 (2023); Physical Review X 9 , 041045 (2019); ACS Nano https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c16645 (2025); [5] Nature Materials, In Press (2025);