Understanding Sonic Booms and Light Speed Phenomena

[Samia qureshi]

As speed of the sounding source approaches speed of sound, sonic boom is heard...

Can it happen in terms of light too.. ?

 

[Garlic]

As speed of the sounding source approaches speed of sound, sonic boom is heard...

Can it happen in terms of light too.. ?

Yes. Cherenkov radiation is what you are looking for.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherenkov_radiation
In short, when an electrically charged particle moves faster than the "speed of light in a medium", it emits photons, the so called cherenkov radiation.

 

[Samia qureshi]

Yes. Cherenkov radiation is what you are looking for.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherenkov_radiation
In short, when an electrically charged particle moves faster than the "speed of light in a medium", it emits photons, the so called cherenkov radiation.

Cherenkov_radiation its a new term for me had never heard about it before let me read it first Thank you

 

[Garlic]

Thank you

No problem

 

[Kevin McHugh]

Objects can surf sound waves. Chuck Yeager reported the feeling of his jet surfing the sound wave. Can anything surf a light wave either in a medium or a vacuum? I'm assuming no for the vacuum.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Can anything surf a light wave either in a medium or a vacuum?

This can certainly be achieved using microwaves, rather than light. Particles cannot travel at c so it is always necessary that the EM wave is deliberately slowed down for this to work. You can use a 'slow wave structure', for instance a helical transmission line, to accelerate charged particles. A wave that's launched along the helix will have a series of maxes and mins of E field that sweep along the helix. Electrons can be caught by the fields in the wave and accelerated. That sounds a lot like 'surfing' to me.
A linear accelerator, used in modern X ray machines, used for radiotherapy, works on a similar principle by E fields, sweeping along the accelerator tube.

 

[Kevin McHugh]

This can certainly be achieved using microwaves, rather than light. Particles cannot travel at c so it is always necessary that the EM wave is deliberately slowed down for this to work. You can use a 'slow wave structure', for instance a helical transmission line, to accelerate charged particles. A wave that's launched along the helix will have a series of maxes and mins of E field that sweep along the helix. Electrons can be caught by the fields in the wave and accelerated. That sounds a lot like 'surfing' to me.
A linear accelerator, used in modern X ray machines, used for radiotherapy, works on a similar principle by E fields, sweeping along the accelerator tube.

Thanks Sophie