Reshaping Glasses with Light

In this work, we study the atomic dynamics induced by hard X-rays in chalcogenide glasses at temperatures well below their Tg. We demonstrate that the accumulation of defects caused by the interaction of the beam with the amorphous network is consistent with an elasto-plastic transition. We evaluate the effects of the preparation protocol, temperature, and scattering angle on this complex phenomenon. Additionally, we show that irradiation enhances a secondary relaxation in the system. Eventually, we demonstrate that the dynamic, structural, and thermodynamic modifications caused by high-energy photons are correlated.