  The failure of the population of micro-junctions forming the frictional
interface between two solids is central to fields ranging from biomechanics to
seismology. This failure is mediated by the propagation along the interface of
various types of rupture fronts, covering a wide range of velocities. Among
them are so-called slow fronts, which are recently discovered fronts much
slower than the materials' sound speeds. Despite intense modelling activity,
the mechanisms underlying slow fronts remain elusive. Here, we introduce a
multi-scale model capable of reproducing both the transition from fast to slow
fronts in a single rupture event and the short-time slip dynamics observed in
recent experiments. We identify slow slip immediately following the arrest of a
fast front as a phenomenon sufficient for the front to propagate further at a
much slower pace. Whether slow fronts are actually observed is controlled both
by the interfacial stresses and by the width of the local distribution of
forces among micro-junctions. Our results show that slow fronts are
qualitatively different from faster fronts. Since the transition from fast to
slow fronts is potentially as generic as slow slip, we anticipate that it might
occur in the wide range of systems in which slow slip has been reported,
including seismic faults.
