What is it about?
This work demonstrates an alternative type of Cherenkov radiation based on interface effect, which is completely different from the century-old theory of bulk Cherenkov radiation. This work reveals the enticing capability of interface-effect-based Cherenkov radiation to overcome the fundamental limitation of Cherenkov threshold for conventional bulk-effect-based Cherenkov radiation.
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Why is it important?
Cherenkov radiation is fundamentally limited by Cherenkov threshold, since it generally originates from particle-bulk interactions. This fundamental limitation requires the usage of high-energy charged particles for its creation and impedes many promising applications, such as novel on-chip light sources. Our work unveils the possibility to create threshold-free interfacial Cherenkov radiation with the aid of umklapp scattering. Our work thus may pave the way towards compact on-chip light sources at some desired frequencies (e.g., terahertz or ultraviolet regimes) from low-energy electrons.
Perspectives
This work not only demonstrates the ability of interface effects to create effective Cherenkov radiation ,but it also highlights the intricate physics underpinning the fascinating phenomena associated with interface effects.
Zheng Gong
Zhejiang University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Interfacial Cherenkov radiation from ultralow-energy electrons, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, September 2023, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306601120.
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