170 Radiation by Prescribed Sources

simple consequences of the relativistic transformation properties of accel-

eration.
We consider qualitatively one more topic in this section: radiation by
a fast particle in a circular orbit, as in a cyclotron. Strictly, the spectrum
is a line spectrum at the fundamental cyclotron frequency Wo plus over-
tones ruai; Obviously, very high overtones will dominate, since the pulse
of forward radiation sweeps rapidly by the observer. We reason as follows:
As the radiation sweeps by the observer, it has an angular width [as we
have seen in (4.9.16)] of order I:::..e - Vl=lJ. It sweeps by in time

I:::..e
sc->; (4.9.21)
de
dt

However, it is not deldt but d81dtR that is controlled at the accelerator.

Since deldtR = wo,

I:::..e Y1- v
I:::..t=--=--(l- vcos8),
atR Wo
Wo-
at

and since e- 1, the observed frequency will be predominantly in the

range

(4.9.22)

4.10. CERENKOV RADIATION

A charged particle moving at constant velocity v in a medium in which

eM, the phase velocity of light, is smaller than v radiates energy.
That something peculiar happens under these circumstances can be
seen from the Lienard-> Wiechart potentials, where the denominator
1 - f· V/CM is zero at an angle cos ec = c;Hlv < 1, and the corresponding
potentials become infinite. Of course, the singularity is not really there:
it appears as a consequence of assuming a dielectric constant that is
independent of frequency, so that there is no high-frequency cut-off. In
practice, as ca ~ x, the dielectric constant E ~ 1 and CM ~ C > v, leaving
the total radiation finite. This makes it clear that we must consider fre-
·1

4.10. Cerenkov Radiation 171

quency-dependent dielectric constants E(W). We take /h, the magnetic

permeability, equal to l.
We consider a given frequency w. Maxwell's equations for the wth
components are"

'('7
xB . -D
u» j
+ 4 n -,
y = = D= EE (4.10.1)
c c • f-

"

and

(4.10.2)

which for W =1= 0 impose the constraint equations

\I. D = 4np (4.10.3)

and
\I·B = O. (4.10.4)

We introduce the potentials as usual:

B=VXA (4.10.5)
and

E = iwA - \lcp (4.10.6)

c

that, with (4.10.1) and (4.10.3), yield, for spatially constant E,

\I2A+-EA= w 2
4nj
---\I (wei
-cp-\l'A ) (4.10.7)
c2 c . C

and
2
\I 2 ¢ + -w2 e¢ = - -
4np - -
iW(WEi
- ¢ - \I . A ) . (4.10.8)
c E C C

The Lorentz gauge here is evidently achieved by setting the terms in

parentheses in (4.10.7) and (4.10.8) equal to zero.

8Far obvious reasons, we reinstate c in our equations.

172 Radiation by Prescribed Sources

The charge and current densities are given by

(4.10.9)

and

(4.10.10)

where p = eyy + exx

and q is the charge of the (point) particle. We have
deliberately omitted the conventional factors Itv'~- from (4.10.9) and
(4.10.10) to save writing. They are reinserted in (4.10.34). Please note
that p (the charge density) and p (the radius in the x,y-plane) are totally
disconnected entities. (We drop the U) subscript from now on.)
Thus,

(4.10.11)

and

(4.10.12)

The vector and scalar potentials satisfy the equations

(4.10.13)

and

(4.10.14)

with

(4.10.15)

The solution of the equation

(4.10.16)
 4.10. Cerenkov Radiation 173

corresponding to outgoing waves we have already seen by Fourier transfor- ,,'

mation of the retarded Green's function. It is

eiklr-r'l
cjJ =
f dr'
Ir- r'l
per'). (4.10.17)

Solving (4.10.13) and (4.10.14) via (4.10.17), we find

f
iklr-r'l (.')
A = q~z e 52(p') exp lWZ dr' (4.10.18)
c [r - r'l v

and

f
iklr-r'l (.')
cjJ = !L e 8\p') exp lWZ dr'. (4.10.19)
v€ [r - r'l v

We carry out the trivial p' integral and change variables to z' - Z =
pu. There results

A = qez
-exp (iWZ)
- I (4.10.20)
c v
and

(4.10.21)

where

(4.10.22)

Since we are looking for radiation, we go to large p and approximate

I by the method of stationary phase. That is, we look for the value of u,
uo, for which the phase of the exponential is stationary. If there is no such
point, then the integral goes like lip for large p, whereas with the cylindri-
cal geometry, fields must go like l/pll2 to radiate. The stationary point is
given by

a [ (1
-::-
ou
+ u2) 112
+ eM
- u
v
JI uo
=0 (4.10.23)
174 Radiation by Prescribed Sources

~
z~ Plual z
Figure 4.4.

or
Uo
(4.10.24)
v

Thus, to have a stationary point, we must have v > CM and

(4.10.25)

Evidently, corresponds to the Cerenkov cone. Recall that

Uo
zo - z = pUo, where zo
is the point from which radiation emerges to arrive
at p, z as shown in Figure 4.4.
Since
1
tan Oc = --,
Uo

cos Be =
1
II?
luol CM

VI + U6 v
(1 + -\) -
Uo

as expected.
We expand the phase about lIo. Setting u = Llo + S, we find for the
integral

.
exp ( ikp
[(V2_cit)1/2
+-
S2(V2_cit)3/2
+ O(s ) + ...
3 J)
u3
1=
J v
2
[1+uo+2uos+···]
2
l/?
-
ds .
(4.10.26)

In the form (4.10.26), it is clear that only values of s of order of or less

than lIVp make significant contributions to I. Hence, we can drop the
extra terms in the denominator and the pS3 terms in the exponent; these
give corrections of order lIVp. The final answer is then
 4.10. Cerenkov Radiation 175

I =
.
exp ( ikp
(v2 - e~I) 112) (v2 - e1Y/2
V V
f ds exp z --
(. kps" (v2
2
-

V
e1)312)
3 '
,:
j l'
(4.10.27)
or

1-
2
_(v -c1)lIZ
(1
.
+ I)
r'IT
-?
v3
., 3/2
J1/Z exp (.ikp (v2-c1)112\ I,
V Lkp(v--CM) V }

(4.10.28)

which is accurate to order lIVp.

The final expressions for the potentials are

2-
= ':qe- exp (WZ) ( )112) 10
2
(v e
A i -; exp ikp V M (4.10.29)

and

( (7) ( ikp (VZ_C )1/2)

2
<!>= .!L.- exp i ~ exp M 10 (4.10.30)
V€ V . V

with

10=(1+z)
. ['IT 2 V 2112 J1I2 (4.10.31)
kp(v -eM)

The fields are given in the p ~ 00 limit by

and

.w
E=z-A-V'<!>
e

or

E -- (iwq ico q
-e_ - --e- A A ) T
Ioe il/l
(4.10.32)
c2 u V€ c, c

icaq e (2v
= ----;--2 A
-
2 ) I.oeil/l ,
z CM· (4.10.33)
c-u
 176 Radiation by Prescribed Sources

where
V2 _ c2 )112
I/! = wZ + kp ( M

V V

The Poynting vector, integrated over time, is with our normalization

of Fourier components"

~ = .s.
47i
f E* x B dw.
21T
(4.10.34)

The energy flux per unit length through a cylinder at radius p is then
independent of p and equal to

dW
-=-
dz
q2
2
f (cit)
dwlwll---,
v2
1
c2
(4.10.35)

where the integration over co is limited to values of w for which

wi
citlv2 < 1. The absolute value 1 comes about because the expression
for 11012 has a term 11k that must be interpreted as 1k I.
Integrating over positive frequencies only, we may drop the factor
of 112. The number of photons radiated per unit frequency and length is
obtained by dividing by Ii, I w]:

dN = q2(1 _ C~l) .l,

dz dto he u2 C

= 0, (4.10.36)

CHAPTER 4 PROBLEMS

4.1. (a) Show that a function I/! that satisfies 'PI/! = 0 in a region can
have no maximum or minimum in the region.
(b) From this, show that a finite function that satisfies y21/! = 0
everywhere and approaches zero as r _ co is zero everywhere.

9We carry out the calculation inside a dielectric cylinder. Since the tangential compo-
ne~ts of E and B are continuous at the dielectric boundary, the Ex B flux through any
cylinder correctly calculates the radiated energy. Remember that f.L = 1.