If you hit glass with a beam of electrons, you can make it flow like water without even heating it up.
March 23, 2026
Original Paper
Amorphous Silicates -- Time-Current Superposition and the Dynamics of Plastic Flow in the Glassy State
arXiv · 2603.19816
The Takeaway
Humans have spent thousands of years using intense heat to melt and shape glass, but researchers discovered that electron irradiation can trigger the same flow at cold temperatures. This discovery could allow for the high-precision manufacturing of high-tech glass components without the risk of heat damage or warping.
From the abstract
Electron irradiation enables quantitative control over the plastic flow dynamics of silicate glasses, even far below the glass transition temperature. Through stress-relaxation experiments spanning ambient to near-glass-transition temperatures, we uncover a time-current equivalence that grants direct access to steady-state plastic flow over five decades in strain rate. This equivalence allows reconstruction of the intrinsic plastic-flow curve and quantitative assessment of the roles of network c