Accelerated-Cherenkov radiation and signatures of radiation reaction

Abstract

In this manuscript we examine an accelerated charged particle moving through an optical medium, and explore the emission of accelerated-Cherenkov radiation. The particle's reaction to acceleration creates a low-frequency spectral cutoff in the Cherenkov emission that has a sharp resonance at the superluminal threshold. Moreover, the effect of recoil on the radiation is incorporated kinematically through the use of an Unruh-DeWitt detector by setting an energy gap, i.e. the change in electron energy, to the recoil energy of the emitted photon. The simultaneous presence of recoil and acceleration conspire to produce a localized resonance peak in the emission. These theoretical considerations could be used to construct high precision tests of radiation reaction using Cherenkov emission under acceleration.