Cherenkov Radiation - Stem2

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Cherenkov RadiationJames Emery5/17/2009Contents1 Introduction12WaveMotion23 The Phase and Group Velocity of Waves34 Shock Waves45 The Theory and Spectrum of Cherenkov Radiation46 Nuclear Reactors67CosmicRays68 Cherenkov Particle Detectors79 Bibliography and References71 IntroductionThe Russian physicists Cherenkov , Frank, and Tamm, received the 1964Nobel prize in physics for their work on Cherenkov example of a wave is the periodic sin function, as a function of time,sin( t).A traveling wave is a function of both space and time, for examplesin(kx t),or (x, t)=aexp(i(kx t)).Because every periodic function may be expanded in a Fourier series, we mayconsider only the trigonometric functions of the form (x, t)=aexp(i(kx t)).Herekis the wave number and is the angular frequency. The wave lengthis the period of the function with respect to time. For a fixed timet,thewave length is the spacial distance between corresponding phase points,that is phase points where (x+ , t0)= (,t0)So that, for example,cos(k(x+ ) t0)=cos(kx t0)ork(x+ ) t0 (kx t0)=2 ork =2.

Cherenkov Radiation James Emery 5/17/2009 Contents 1 Introduction 1 2WaveMotion 2 3 The Phase and Group Velocity of Waves 3 4 Shock Waves 4 5 The Theory and Spectrum of Cherenkov Radiation 4

  Radiation, Cherenkov radiation, Cherenkov