In the physical sciences, relaxation usually means the return of a perturbed system into equilibrium. Each relaxation process can be categorized by a relaxation time τ. The simplest theoretical description of relaxation as function of timet is an exponential law exp.
Let the homogeneous differential equation: model damped unforced oscillations of a weight on a spring. The displacement will then be of the form. The constant T is called the relaxation time of the system and the constant μ is the quasi-frequency.
In an RC circuit containing a charged capacitor and a resistor, the voltage decays exponentially: The constant is called the relaxation time or RC time constant of the circuit. A nonlinear oscillator circuit which generates a repeating waveform by the repetitive discharge of a capacitor through a resistance is called a relaxation oscillator.
In condensed matter physics, relaxation is usually studied as a linear response to a small external perturbation. Since the underlying microscopic processes are active even in the absence of external perturbations, one can also study "relaxation in equilibrium" instead of the usual "relaxation into equilibrium".
An amorphous solid, such as amorphous indomethacin displays a temperature dependence of molecular motion, which can be quantified as the average relaxation time for the solid in a metastablesupercooled liquid or glass to approach the molecular motion characteristic of a crystal. Differential scanning calorimetry can be used to quantify enthalpy change due to molecular structural relaxation. The term "structural relaxation" was introduced in the scientific literature in 1947/48 without any explanation, applied to NMR, and meaning the same as "thermal relaxation".
In chemical kinetics, relaxation methods are used for the measurement of very fast reaction rates. A system initially at equilibrium is perturbed by a rapid change in a parameter such as the temperature, the pressure, the electric field or the pH of the solvent. The return to equilibrium is then observed, usually by spectroscopic means, and the relaxation time measured. In combination with the chemical equilibrium constant of the system, this enables the determination of the rate constants for the forward and reverse reactions.
Monomolecular first-order reversible reaction
A monomolecular, first order reversible reaction which is close to equilibrium can be visualized by the following symbolic structure: A -> B -> A A <=> B In other words, reactant A and product B are forming into one another based on reaction rate constants k and k'. To solve for the concentration of A, recognize that the forward reaction causes the concentration of A to decrease over time, whereas the reverse reaction causes the concentration of A to increase over time. Therefore,, where brackets around A and B indicate concentrations. If we say that at, and applying the law of conservation of mass, we can say that at any time, the sum of the concentrations of A and B must be equal to the concentration of, assuming the volume into which A and B are dissolved does not change: Substituting this value for in terms of A and A yields , which becomes the separable differential equation This equation can be solved by substitution to yield
In atmospheric sciences
Desaturation of clouds
Consider a supersaturated portion of a cloud. Then shut off the updrafts, entrainment, and any other vapor sources/sinks and things that would induce the growth of the particles. Then wait for this supersaturation to reduce and become just saturation, which is the equilibrium state. The time it takes for the supersaturation to dissipate is called relaxation time. It will happen as ice crystals or liquid water content grow within the cloud and will thus consume the contained moisture. The dynamics of relaxation are very important in cloud physics for accurate mathematical modelling. In water clouds where the concentrations are larger and the temperatures are warmer, the relaxation times will be very low. In ice clouds the concentrations are lower and the temperatures are colder and so the relaxation times can be as long as several hours. Relaxation time is given as
In astronomy, relaxation time relates to clusters of gravitationally interacting bodies, for instance, stars in a galaxy. The relaxation time is a measure of the time it takes for one object in the system to be significantly perturbed by other objects in the system. It is most commonly defined as the time for the test star's velocity to change by of order itself. Suppose that the test star has velocity v. As the star moves along its orbit, its motion will be randomly perturbed by the gravitational field of nearby stars. The relaxation time can be shown to be where ρ is the mean density, m is the test-star mass, σ is the 1d velocity dispersion of the field stars, and ln Λ is the Coulomb logarithm. Various events occur on timescales relating to the relaxation time, including core collapse, energy equipartition, and formation of a Bahcall-Wolf cusp around a supermassive black hole.
