- #1
vhbelvadi
- 67
- 1
I only recently began reading about Cerenkov radiations and I've got so far as reading how the photons are emitted (which I think isn't very far!) Now I have a few questions from that point on:
a. I take it the charged particle that zips through the dielectric polarises the atoms and when electrons return to the ground state after the particle has passed, they release photons.
Now the way I see it that means 'polarisation' not only refers to a shift in the denser regions of the electron cloud but also implies electrons jumping to higher energy levels. How exactly does that happen?
b. Once the photons are emitted, there seems to be something to the effect that these 'photons do not interfere destructively, rather constructively when the particle is traveling at a velocity > c/n
I don't quite understand that part either! (Perhaps it has something to do with the shock front?)
c. Lastly, why does the radiation confine itself to the 'blue' region?
While simple verbal explanations will suffice, I really appreciate any maths you can inject in explaining this!
Thanks a lot.
a. I take it the charged particle that zips through the dielectric polarises the atoms and when electrons return to the ground state after the particle has passed, they release photons.
Now the way I see it that means 'polarisation' not only refers to a shift in the denser regions of the electron cloud but also implies electrons jumping to higher energy levels. How exactly does that happen?
b. Once the photons are emitted, there seems to be something to the effect that these 'photons do not interfere destructively, rather constructively when the particle is traveling at a velocity > c/n
I don't quite understand that part either! (Perhaps it has something to do with the shock front?)
c. Lastly, why does the radiation confine itself to the 'blue' region?
While simple verbal explanations will suffice, I really appreciate any maths you can inject in explaining this!
Thanks a lot.