Energy Losses of a Charged Particle due to Excitation of Helicons in Plasma-Like Media

We study the energy lost by a particle moving along the helical line in a static magnetic field due to Vavilov–Cherenkov radiation of volume and surface helicons. It is found that the energy losses related to excitation of volume helicons are equivalent to the energy losses of a magnetic moment created due to the charge rotation. The magnetic moment moves at a constant velocity along the magnetic field. It is shown that collisionless damping of volume helicons in plasmas is based on the Cherenkov radiation of magnetic moment. Radiation of surface helicons by a particle does not correspond to the energy losses of a moving magnetic moment. This is related to the fact that not only magnetic (H) waves but also electric (E) waves contribute to the excitation of surface helicons, which leads to an increase in the energy losses of a particle.     

Transient radiation in an anisotropic magnetodielectric plate in a waveguide

We have considered transient radiation of a charged particle in an anisotropic magnetodielectric plate placed into a regular waveguide. It is assumed that the charged particle passes through the plate moving at a constant velocity perpendicularly to the waveguide axis. Wave equations and analytical expressions for transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) fields in different regions of the waveguide have been obtained. Energies of transient radiation of the moving particle have been calculated. The properties of transient radiation and Vavilov–Cherenkov radiation have been analyzed for the case of a rectangular waveguide. Energies of transient radiation have been calculated for the case of a “thin” plate in the waveguide, when the wavelength in the plate is much greater than the length of the plate.     

Cherenkov radiation of a spinning particle

We consider the Cherenkov radiation of a neutral particle with magnetic moment, and the spin-dependent contribution to the Cherenkov radiation of a charged spinning particle. The corresponding radiation intensity is obtained for an arbitrary value of spin and for an arbitrary spin orientation with respect to velocity. The article is published in the original.     

Coherent Cherenkov radiation from cosmic-ray-induced air showers

Very energetic cosmic rays entering the atmosphere of Earth will create a plasma cloud moving with almost the speed of light. The magnetic field of Earth induces an electric current in this cloud which is responsible for the emission of coherent electromagnetic radiation. We propose to search for a new effect: Because of the index of refraction of air, this radiation is collimated in a Cherenkov cone. To express the difference from usual Cherenkov radiation, i.e., the emission from a fast-moving electric charge, we call this magnetically induced Cherenkov radiation. We indicate its signature and possible experimental verification.     

Onset of wave drag due to generation of capillary-gravity waves by a moving object as a critical phenomenon

The onset of the wave resistance, via generation of capillary-gravity waves of a small object moving with velocity V, is investigated experimentally. Because of the existence of a minimum phase velocity V(c) for surface waves, the problem is similar to the generation of rotons in superfluid helium near their minimum. In both cases waves or rotons are produced at V>V(c) due to Cherenkov radiation. We find that the transition to the wave drag state is continuous: in the vicinity of the bifurcation the wave resistance force is proportional to sqrt[V-V(c)] for various fluids.     

On the feasibility of using X-ray faster-than-light spots to check the isotropy of the speed of light

An experimental method for checking the isotropy of the speed of light is proposed. It is based on excitation of Cherenkov radiation by a virtual electric charge moving with a faster-than-light velocity.     

Cherenkov excitation of surface waves

A theory of the excitation of surface waves by a fast charged particle moving in a thin homogeneous metal film surrounded by a dielectric medium has been proposed. The Cherenkov effect for the surface waves has been shown to occur at the velocity of particles one or two orders of magnitude lower than the respective velocity in a homogeneous medium.     

The mechanism of Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation

The mechanism of generation of Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation is discussed in this article. The developers of the theory of the Vavilov-Cherenkov effect, I.E. Tamm and I.M. Frank, attributed this effect to their discovery of a new mechanism of radiation when a charged particle moves uniformly and rectilinearly in the medium. As such a mechanism presupposes the violation of the laws of conservation of energy and momentum, they proposed the abolition of these laws to account for the Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation mechanism. This idea has received a considerably wide acceptance in the creation of other theories, for example, transition radiation theory. In this paper, the radiation mechanism for the charge constant motion is demonstrated to be incorrect, because it contradicts not only the laws of conservation of energy and momentum, but also the very definitions of uniform and rectilinear motion (Newton's First Law). A consistent explanation of the Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation microscopic mechanism that does not contradict the basic laws is proposed. It is shown that the radiation arises from the interaction of the moving charge with bound charges that are spaced fairly far away from its trajectory. The Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation mechanism bears a slowing down character, but it differs fundamentally from bremsstrahlung, primarily because the Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation onset results from a two-stage process. First, the moving particle polarizes the medium; then, the already polarized atoms radiate coherently, provided that the particle velocity exceeds the phase speed of light in the medium. If the particle velocity is less than the phase speed of light in the medium, the polarized atoms return energy to the outgoing particle. In this case, radiation is not observed. Special attention is given to the relatively constant particle velocity as the condition of the coherent composition of waves. However, its motion cannot be designated as a uniform and rectilinear one in the sense of its definition by Newton's First Law, and it also contradicts the laws of conservation of energy and momentum.     

Self-consistent renormalized phonons in metallic and nonmetallic solids

The interaction of charged particle beam with non-linear “cubic” type media has been studied; the dielectric permeability of such media depends on the square strength of the electric field produced by the beam-excited wave. The processes of the Cherenkov excitation of the medium by a modulated definite current are investigated as well as the polarization of longitudinal oscillations of the medium excited by the current. The equations are obtained to determine the dependence of fields excited by the current on the amplitude of the exciting current. It is found that under certain circumstances (near the radiation cut-off) the conditions of Cherenkov radiation may be violated due to non-linearities of the medium and the particle radiation loss vanish. The amplification of longitudinal waves in an arbitrary isotropic medium with “cubic” non-linearity by a monoenergetic particle beam is studied when the frequencies of amplified oscillations are close to the resonance frequencies of the medium.     

Radiation of a charged particle in a random stack of plates

Radiation from a charged particle moving in a system of randomly spaced plates is considered. It is shown that the dominant radiation mechanism is diffusion. The total intensity of radiation is investigated, and its quadratic dependence on particle energy is noted in the optical region. A comparison with Cherenkov radiation is carried out. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 91–99 (July 1998) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Reproduced here with stylistic changes by the Translation Editor.     

Cherenkov Radiation in Moving Medium

Cherenkov radiation in uniformly moving homogeneous isotropic medium without dispersion is studied. Formula for the spectrum of Cherenkov radiation of fermion was derived for the case when the speed of the medium is less than the speed of light in this medium at rest. The properties of Cherenkov spectrum are investigated.     

Cherenkov radiation emitted by a vortex into an anisotropic dielectric

The fields produced by a Josephson vortex moving in a sandwich placed into an anisotropic dielectric are investigated. When the vortex velocity exceeds the velocity of light in the direction of the normal to the sandwich surface, Cherenkov emission of electromagnetic waves propagating from the sandwich to the bulk of the dielectric takes place. The Poynting vector of outgoing waves is determined. It is shown that the radiation directivity considerably depends on the degree of anisotropy in the permittivity. The radiation loss power of the vortex is determined, and the relation between the transport current and the vortex velocity is established.     

On the theory of polarization radiation in media with sharp boundaries

Polarization radiation generated when a point charge moves uniformly along a straight line in vacuum in the vicinity of media with a finite permittivity ɛ(ω) = ɛ′ + iɛ″ and sharp boundaries is considered. A method is developed in which polarization radiation is represented as the field of the current induced in the substance by the field of the moving charge. The solution to the problem of radiation induced when a charge moves along the axis of a cylindrical vacuum channel in a thin screen with a finite radius and a finite permittivity is obtained. Depending on the parameters of the problem, this solution describes various types of radiation (Cherenkov, transition, and diffraction radiation). In particular, when the channel radius tends to zero and the outer radius of the screen tends to infinity, the expression derived for the emitted energy coincides with the known solution for transition radiation in a plate. In another particular case of ideal conductivity (ɛ″ → ∞), the relevant formula coincides with the known results for diffraction radiation from a circular aperture in an infinitely thin screen. The solution is obtained to the problem of radiation generated when the charge flies near a thin rectangular screen with a finite permittivity. This solution describes the diffraction and Cherenkov mechanisms of radiation and takes into account possible multiple re-reflections of radiation in the screen. The solution to the problem of radiation generated when a particles flies near a thin grating consisting of a finite number of strips having a rectangular cross section and a finite permittivity and separated by vacuum gaps (Smith-Purcell radiation) is also obtained. In the special case of ideal conductivity, the expression derived for the emitted energy coincides with the known result in the model of surface currents.     

Nobel Prizes in the “light” of Vavilov–Cherenkov radiation. To the 125th anniversary of the birth of S.I. Vavilov

The objective of this paper is not a detailed review or an analysis of the studies in the field of high-energy physics initiated by the discovery of Vavilov–Cherenkov radiation, occurred more than 80 years ago at the Lebedev Physical Institute, and awarded Nobel Prizes. The paper is written to emphasize the historical significance of the discovery of the effect and its key role in further studies in high-energy physics, commended by the high award of the Nobel committee. In 1958, 24 years after the first publication about the new phenomenon, i.e., emission of electrons moving in matter with the superlight speed, discovered by P.A. Cherenkov under the supervision by S.I. Vavilov, the Nobel Prize was awarded to a group of scientists of the Lebedev Physical Institute, P.A. Cherenkov, I.M. Frank, and I.E. Tamm “for the discovery and explanation of the Cherenkov effect”. Since then, practical application of Vavilov–Cherenkov radiation is widely spread.     

Density perturbations excited near a pulsating point source in a streaming plasma

The leading term of the electron density perturbations around a harmonic point source moving with a superthermal velocity through a maxwellian plasma is studied for distances that tend to zero. Pronounced asymmetry is found, the field being concentrated mainly in a conical region downstream behind the source (the Cherenkov cone).     

A new approach to the theory of Cherenkov radiation based on relativistic generalization of the Landau criterion

Relativistic generalization of the Landau criterion is obtained which, in contrast to the classical Tamm-Frank and Ginzburg theories, determines the primary energy mechanism of emission of nonbremsstrahlung Cherenkov radiation. It is shown that Cherenkov radiation may correspond to a threshold energetically favorable conversion of the condensate (ultimately long-wavelength) elementary Bose perturbations of a medium into transverse Cherenkov photons emitted by the medium proper during its interaction with a sufficiently fast charged particle. The threshold conditions of emission are determined for a medium with an arbitrary refractive index n, including the case of isotropic plasma with n<1 for which the classical theory of Cherenkov radiation prohibits such direct and effective nonbremsstrahlung emission of these particular transverse high-frequency electromagnetic waves. It is established that these conditions of emission agree with the data of well-known experiments on the threshold for observation of Cherenkov radiation, whereas the classical theory only corresponds to the conditions of observation of the interference maximum of this radiation. The possibility of direct effective emission of nonbremsstrahlung Cherenkov radiation, not taken into account in the classical theory, is considered for many observed astrophysical phenomena (type III solar radio bursts, particle acceleration by radiation, etc.).     

Effect of heavy ion charge fluctuations on Cherenkov radiation

Correlation effects in the Cherenkov radiation due to ions charge fluctuations in the matter are considered. Stochastic process of charge exchange leads to the washout of a radiation wave front and to the transformation of spectral-angular density. The effect is determined by a root-mean-square deviation of an ion charge. The additional radiation yield gives the nonzero contribution at the violation of the Cherenkov threshold condition. The interference of an electromagnetic field generated in the matter by the different ion's charge states along the trajectory is the cause of the additional radiation.     

Quantum Cherenkov radiation at the motion of a small neutral particle parallel to the surface of a transparent dielectric

Quantum Cherenkov radiation and quantum friction at the motion of a small neutral particle parallel to the surface of a transparent dielectric with the refractive index n have been studied in a fully relativistic theory. Radiation appears at velocities above the threshold value, v > v _c = c/n. The friction force in the particle–plate configuration has been derived from the friction force in the plate–plate configuration under the assumption that one of the plates is significantly decharged. A decrease in the kinetic energy of the particle near the threshold velocity is due to its radiation and near the speed of light is determined by the heat power absorbed by the particle in the rest frame. The powers of quantum and classical Cherenkov radiation can be comparable in the relativistic case.     

Cherenkov radiation by the charged particle moving in moving Hermitian medium

Detailed theoretical investigation and computer calculations on the Cherenkov radiation (CR) in moving Hermitian medium (CRMH) are presented in this paper. It has been found that, similar to that in stationary Hermitian medium (CRH) case, there are two modes in the CRMH; in general, only one of them is radiative mode, another one is local field, and the comparison of the two modes is given in the paper. The small absorption of CRMH mainly results in the Gaussian-like field intensity pattern. And the group velocity in the CRMH is always slower than the phase velocity in the moving HM, so the fine inner structure occurs. Comparing the behaviors of CRMH and CRH, we have found that the movement of the Hermitian medium (HM) brings significant influences on the CR, so there are some interesting characteristics of CRMH, such as in the CRMH; the radiation power of the “o” mode is much higher than that of “e” mode. And because of the relativistic Doppler effect, the frequency region where both modes are radiative becomes quite different from that for CRH.     

Transition radiation emitted by a particle moving along the axis of a perfectly conducting conical surface

The spatial field distribution is determined for the transition radiation emitted by a relativistic particle moving along the axis of a perfectly conducting circular conical surface with a fixed apex. Emission from particles moving away from and towards the apex is examined. Expressions are obtained that can be used to calculate the angular distribution of radiation intensity for various apex angles between 0 and π. Significant differences are demonstrated between the spatial distributions of radiation generated by outgoing and incoming particles.