Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-optics-and-electrodynamics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2018/1/c/solution
Past exam of the optics and electrodynamics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 1 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
First obtain the particle speed from kinetic energy rather than treating as its total energy. With Electron rest energy ,For Cherenkov radiation, the photon propagation direction makes angle to the particle trajectory, with . The speed correction is negligible at three significant digits, but the Cherenkov photon-cone and wavefront-cone angles must be distinguished.
If the given opening is the full cone of photon directions, . The result isIf instead denotes the full opening of the conical wavefront, its half-angle is complementary to the photon direction: . That convention givesThe original PDF supplies no cone diagram or definition distinguishing these geometries. Thus the literal full photon-cone interpretation gives , while follows from the wavefront interpretation. It would be incorrect to interchange sine and cosine without stating which cone is meant.
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