Broadband Enhancement of Cherenkov Radiation Using Dispersionless Plasmons

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Materials Science
• Photonics

Background:

• Cherenkov radiation (CR) is crucial for detecting relativistic particles in high-energy physics.
• Limited photon yield restricts CR applications to high-energy particles (MeV range).
• Enhancing CR yield is vital for applications like free-electron light sources and bio-imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a general approach for broadband enhancement of Cherenkov radiation.
• To enable Cherenkov radiation applications with low-energy electrons.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional Cherenkov radiation.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing dispersionless plasmons, realized via graphene heterostructures or metallodielectric structures.
• Coupling dispersionless plasmons with moving electrons.
• Exploiting acoustic terahertz plasmons or nonlocal optical plasmons.

Main Results:

• Achieved radiation enhancement rates over two orders of magnitude compared to conventional CR.
• Demonstrated ultrabroadband frequency enhancement.
• Enabled giant radiation enhancements with ultralow-energy free electrons (down to 3 eV).

Conclusions:

• Dispersionless plasmons offer a general and effective method for Cherenkov radiation enhancement.
• This approach significantly expands the applicability of Cherenkov radiation to lower-energy systems.
• The findings pave the way for novel applications in various scientific and technological fields.