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Cherenkov radiation
Sign in to saveAlso known as Čerenkov radiation, Vavilov–Cherenkov radiation
electromagnetic phenomenon
Cherenkov radiation is a glow of light produced when a charged particle, like an electron, travels through a material faster than light can travel through that same material. It matters because it helps scientists detect and study high-energy particles in physics experiments, and it's used in medical imaging and other practical applications.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
In the Vinony graph
Within Vinony's link graph, Cherenkov radiation is referenced by 262 other articles, and connects out to speed of light in vacuum, gamma ray and electronvolt.
It sits within the topics Experimental particle physics, Light sources and Particle physics.
Its subject is documented across 58 Wikipedia language editions.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- phenomenon
- Subclass of
- electromagnetic radiation
- Named after
- Sergey Vavilov
- Image
- Advanced Test Reactor.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- Commons category
- Cherenkov radiation
- discoverer or inventor
- Sergey Vavilov
- Stack Exchange tag
- physics.stackexchange.com/tags/cherenkov-radiation
Sources (3)
via Wikidata · CC0
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Encyclopedic overview
Cherenkov radiation glowing in the core of the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory
Cherenkov radiation (/tʃəˈrɛŋkɒf/) is an 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. 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.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Cherenkov radiation” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.