TY - JOUR
T1 - Visualization of Čerenkov radiation and the fields of a moving charge
AU - Pfeifer, Robert N C
AU - Nieminen, Timo A.
N1 - A corrigendum for this article can be found in the European Journal of Physics, vol. 28, no. 5 at DOI: 10.1088/0143-0807/28/5/C01.
PY - 2006/5/1
Y1 - 2006/5/1
N2 - For some physics students, the concept of a particle travelling faster than the speed of light holds endless fascination, and čerenkov radiation is a visible consequence of a charged particle travelling through a medium at locally superluminal velocities. The Heaviside-Feynman equations for calculating the magnetic and electric fields of a moving charge have been known for many decades, but it is only recently that the computing power to plot the fields of such a particle has become readily available for student use. This paper investigates and illustrates the calculation of Maxwell's D field in homogeneous isotropic media for arbitrary, including superluminal, constant velocity, and uses the results as a basis for discussing energy transfer in the electromagnetic field.
AB - For some physics students, the concept of a particle travelling faster than the speed of light holds endless fascination, and čerenkov radiation is a visible consequence of a charged particle travelling through a medium at locally superluminal velocities. The Heaviside-Feynman equations for calculating the magnetic and electric fields of a moving charge have been known for many decades, but it is only recently that the computing power to plot the fields of such a particle has become readily available for student use. This paper investigates and illustrates the calculation of Maxwell's D field in homogeneous isotropic media for arbitrary, including superluminal, constant velocity, and uses the results as a basis for discussing energy transfer in the electromagnetic field.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33646370245&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=36049050037&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0143-0807/28/5/C01
U2 - 10.1088/0143-0807/27/3/006
DO - 10.1088/0143-0807/27/3/006
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:33646370245
SN - 0143-0807
VL - 27
SP - 521
EP - 529
JO - European Journal of Physics
JF - European Journal of Physics
IS - 3
ER -