Magnetic drag from frustrated order

Subjects Condensed-matter physicsMagnetic properties and materials Friction typically scales with load but magnetic systems can defy this rule. Sliding arrays of magnetic rotors reveal that energy dissipation peaks where competing magnetic orders dynamically clash. This non-monotonic magnetic drag arises from sliding-induced hysteresis, offering a blueprint for tunable, contactless braking at any scale. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Learn more Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $259.00 per year only $21.58 per issue Learn more Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Learn more Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Fig. 1: Magnetic friction arising from competing interactions. ReferencesVanossi, A., Manini, N., Urbakh, M., Zapperi, S. & Tosatti, E. Rev. Mod. Phys. 85, 529–552 (2013).Article CAS Google Scholar Deng, Z. et al. Nat. Mater. 11, 1032–1037 (2012).Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar Benassi, A., Vanossi, A., Santoro, G. E. & Tosatti, E. Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 256102 (2011).Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar Panizon, E. et al. New J. Phys. 20, 023033 (2018).Article Google Scholar Wolter, B. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 116102 (2012).Article PubMed Google Scholar Kadau, D., Hucht, A. & Wolf, D. E. Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 137205 (2008).Article PubMed Google Scholar Gu, H., Lüders, A. & Bechinger, C. Nat. Mater. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-026-02538-1 (2026).Article PubMed Google Scholar Bylinskii, A., Gangloff, D., Counts, I. & Vuletić, V. Nat. Mater. 15, 717–721 (2016).Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar Bohlein, T., Mikhael, J. & Bechinger, C. Nat. Mater. 11, 126–130 (2011).Article PubMed Google Scholar Download referencesAuthor informationAuthors and AffiliationsCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, ChinaAntoine Niguès & Alessandro SiriaAuthorsAntoine NiguèsView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarAlessandro SiriaView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorsCorrespondence to Antoine Niguès or Alessandro Siria.Ethics declarations Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Rights and permissionsReprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleNiguès, A., Siria, A. Magnetic drag from frustrated order. Nat. Mater. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-026-02566-xDownload citationPublished: 01 April 2026Version of record: 01 April 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-026-02566-xShare this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative Non-monotonic magnetic friction from collective rotor dynamics Hongri GuAnton LüdersClemens Bechinger Nature Materials Article 18 Mar 2026