Cherenkov radiation
Electromagnetic radiation from a charged particle in a medium / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Cherenkov radiation (/tʃəˈrɛŋkɒf/[1]) (also known as Čerenkov or Cerenkov radiation[2]) is electromagnetic radiation emitted when a charged particle (such as an electron) passes through a dielectric medium (such as distilled water) at a speed greater than the phase velocity (speed of propagation of a wavefront in a medium) of light in that medium.[3] A classic example of Cherenkov radiation is the characteristic blue glow of an underwater nuclear reactor. Its cause is similar to the cause of a sonic boom, the sharp sound heard when faster-than-sound movement occurs. The phenomenon is named after Soviet physicist Pavel Cherenkov.