Contactless Friction: A New Physics Breakthrough Challenges Amontons’ Law

For over 300 years, our understanding of friction has been governed by Amontons’ law, which states that friction is directly proportional to the force pressing two surfaces together. However, recent research from the University of Konstanz has unveiled a surprising discovery: friction can exist even without physical contact. This groundbreaking finding, published on March 22, 2026, challenges a fundamental principle of physics and opens doors to new technologies.

The Discovery of Contactless Friction

Researchers at the University of Konstanz have identified a novel type of sliding friction driven entirely by magnetic interactions . Instead of relying on the deformation of surfaces and the creation of microscopic contact points, this friction arises from the collective behavior of magnetic elements. The team demonstrated this phenomenon using a two-dimensional array of rotating magnetic elements positioned above a second magnetic layer, ensuring no physical touch between the layers .

How It Works: Competing Magnetic Forces

The key to this contactless friction lies in competing magnetic preferences. The upper layer of magnets tends to align its magnetic moments in an antiparallel configuration, while the lower layer prefers a parallel arrangement. This creates an unstable state where the magnets constantly reorient themselves as the layers move relative to each other . This constant switching and reorganization dissipate energy, resulting in a measurable friction force.

“By changing the distance between the magnetic layers, we could drive the system into a regime of competing interactions where the rotors constantly reorganize as they slide,” explains Hongri Gu, who carried out the experiments .

Breaking Amontons’ Law

Traditionally, friction increases steadily with load, as described by Amontons’ law. However, the University of Konstanz team observed a surprising pattern: friction is lowest when the magnetic layers are very close or far apart. At intermediate distances, friction rises sharply, reaching a peak – a clear deviation from the expected linear relationship . This peak occurs when the magnetic ordering within the system becomes “frustrated,” meaning the system struggles to find a stable configuration.

“From a theoretical perspective, this system is remarkable because friction does not originate from a physical surface contact, but from the collective dynamics of magnetic moments,” explains Anton Lüders, who developed the theoretical description .

Potential Applications and Future Research

The implications of this discovery extend far beyond fundamental physics. Because the underlying principles don’t depend on scale, the findings could apply to atomically thin magnetic materials, where even small movements can alter magnetic order . This opens up new avenues for studying and controlling magnetism through friction measurements.

Potential applications include:

• Micro and Nanoelectromechanical Systems (MEMS/NEMS): Reducing wear and extending device lifespan.
• Magnetic Bearings: Creating more efficient and durable bearings.
• Vibration Isolation Systems: Developing advanced damping systems.
• Frictional Metamaterials: Designing materials with tunable frictional properties.
• Contactless Control Components: Enabling remote and reversible friction adjustment.

“What is remarkable is that friction here arises entirely from internal reorganization,” adds Clemens Bechinger, who supervised the project. “There is no wear, no surface roughness and no direct contact. Dissipation is generated solely by collective magnetic rearrangements.”

This research provides a new way to study collective spin behavior through mechanical measurements, bridging the fields of tribology and magnetism in an innovative way.