Sponsor
Office of Naval Research (N00014-25-1-2160).
Published In
Science
Document Type
Post-Print
Publication Date
9-10-2026
Abstract
A bulk crystal, as small as 0.5 mm in size, contains more than a quintillion atoms that behave collectively like a large-scale object. When such a crystal is disturbed by an outside influence, it quickly transitions into a new steady state after a brief transient phase known as relaxation. When this phase is the shortest in duration, the system can exhibit extreme sensitivity to even a tiny perturbation. Examining changes in relaxation in a bulk material could help engineer new sensors and rapid response devices. However, the transient response only lasts for a few picoseconds, making observation difficult. On page 1152 of this issue, J. Li et al. (1) report an experimental measurement of relaxation transition in a single-crystal europium monoxide (EuO). The achievement suggests a means to observe similar phase transition in other bulk crystalline materials.
Rights
Copyright © 2026 The Author.
DOI
10.1126/science.aek6943
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/45306
Citation Details
Joglekar, Y. (2026). Catching a glimpse of complex relaxation. Science, 393(6816), 1080-1080.
Description
This is the accepted author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science on 10 September 2026, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aek6943