Lubricant Thermodiffusion in Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording

Molecular dynamics modeling of lubricant displacement on a disk during transient heating in a heat assisted recording interface is presented. It is found that in the time and dimension scales expected for high density recording (nanosecond, tens of nanometers), a significant lubricant removal from the heat spot center can occur, leading to the formation of a rim around it. Continuum fluid dynamics calculations were also performed using a temperature dependent Hamaker constant for lubricant-lubricant interactions. These results were in good agreement with the molecular dynamics predictions.