Before revision:  Here we provide a simple theory that explains how bond breaking and elastic relaxation can drive static adhesion hysteresis over a debonding / rebonding cycle. We show that energy loss emerges from the coupling of a local event (bond breaking) to a nonlocal event (overall elastic relaxation), in a manner similar to the Lake-Thomas effect in polymers. Experiments with adherent microtubules allow us to quantify the hysteresis as a function of adhesion and elasticity parameters .
After revision:  Here we provide a simple theory that explains how bond breaking and elastic relaxation can drive static adhesion hysteresis over a debonding / debonding cycle. Using this model we quantify hysteresis in terms of the adhesion and elasticity parameters .