Mesoscopic Triboelectricity - from Patches to Particles to Planets

Understanding triboelectricity requires to span scales: On atomic distances the separation of charge carriers happens; surface regions with coherent charging properties form donor or acceptor patches; many of such patches define the charging of a single contact among solid bodies, and a multitude of contacts cumulate for tribocharging of granular particles.

Recently, these scales got expanded to the atmospheric and astrophysical context. Dust mobility on planetary objects, either with atmosphere or air-less bodies such as asteroids or the moon, and the formation of planets itself seem to rely on mechanisms related to triboelectricity.

With refined understanding and new fields of application also new experimental methods have been developed to investigate the effect of triboelectricity in granular matter. This seminar is dedicated to connect the involved research areas, triboelectricity, granular matter research, astrophysics and planetary sciences.

The conference language will be English. The Wilhelm and Else Heraeus-Foundation bears the cost of full-board accommodation for all participants.