Glass transition in metallic glasses facilitated by static loading

The glass transition represents a long-standing enigma in condensed matter physics and materials science. Traditionally, this transition, often associated with \ensuremath{\alpha} relaxation, is viewed as a thermally activated process. In this study, by integrating molecular dynamics simulations and experimental verification, we revealed that static loading can effectively reduce the glass transition temperature in the out-of-equilibrium glassy state, exhibiting a distinct stress-temperature equivalence compared to that observed under dynamic loading in the equilibrium liquid state. This indicates that mechanical energy can effectively substitute thermal energy in facilitating the glass transition. At the microscopic level, the application of static load enhances atomic mobility, triggering cooperative atomic movements and fostering the development of ``faster-atom'' networks, which ultimately facilitate the global motion of numerous atoms necessary for the glass transition. These findings highlight the significance of static load in tailoring the structure and dynamics of metallic glasses.