The effect of longitudinal-transverse coupling and medium temperature on Cerenkov radiation

Abstract

The effect of medium properties on the energy loss suffered by a relativistic charged particle in a dielectric medium generating Cerenkov radiation is discussed. Here we have taken into account the effect of the coupling of the longitudinal (σ) mode with the transverse (λ) mode in the electromagnetic interaction. Calculation shows that the inclusion of λ-σ coupling in the transverse interaction affects significantly the radiation output. However the modification of the radiation due to the thermal state of the system becomes important at very high temperatures such as one finds in astrophysical situations. This temperature effect is negligible at ordinary temperatures and thus is undetectable in laboratory experiments.