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Updated: Jan 14, 2026
06:28
Visualization of Low-Level Gamma Radiation Sources Using a Low-Cost, High-Sensitivity, Omnidirectional Compton Camera
Published on: January 30, 2020
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Transverse-Electric Cherenkov Radiation for TeV-Scale Particle Detection
Zhixiong Xie1, Xiao Lin2,3, Song Zhu1
1National Key Laboratory of Microwave Photonics, College of Electronic and Information Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 211106, China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|October 17, 2025
Summary
This study demonstrates a novel method for detecting ultrahigh-energy particles using graphene plasmons. This breakthrough extends the measurable momentum range of Cherenkov radiation detectors by two orders of magnitude.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Particle Detection
Background:
- Cherenkov radiation is key for particle identification, but conventional detectors are limited to tens of GeV/c.
- Detectors are limited by the lack of natural materials with near-unity refractive indices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To overcome the momentum limitations of conventional Cherenkov radiation detectors.
- To demonstrate a new platform for detecting ultrahigh-energy particles.
Main Methods:
- Excitation of transverse-electric (TE) graphene plasmons using swift charged particles above suspended monolayer graphene.
- Utilizing the near-unity mode index of TE graphene plasmons for Cherenkov radiation.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated directional Cherenkov radiation from TE graphene plasmons.
- Achieved high sensitivity of Cherenkov angle to relativistic velocities up to the TeV/c regime.
- Radiation showed robustness against particle-graphene separation changes.
Conclusions:
- The developed platform extends measurable particle momenta by two orders of magnitude.
- This ultracompact, electrically tunable platform enables on-chip, reconfigurable detection of ultrahigh-energy particles.
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