- Physical Review Journals
All JournalsPhysics Magazine

Physical Review D

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Open Access

Revisiting Cherenkov radiation in anisotropic chiral matter: Exact calculation reveals threshold-free emission

R. Martínez von Dossow* and L. F. Urrutia†

  • Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Ciudad de México, México

  • *Contact author: r.martinezvd@gmail.com
  • †Contact author: urrutia@nucleares.unam.mx
PDF

Phys. Rev. D 114, 016018 – Published 17 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/v6sr-w2tr

Abstract

We explore Cherenkov radiation in anisotropic chiral matter within the framework of Carroll-Field-Jackiw electrodynamics, where the axion angle exhibits a linear dependence on position. By deriving closed-form expressions for the polarization modes of electromagnetic fields in cylindrical coordinates and the space-frequency domain, we solve the modified Maxwell’s equations. To enforce causality, we impose outgoing wave boundary conditions at a cylindrical surface at infinity, which yields the dispersion relations. Our analysis uncovers the specific angles and frequency ranges that allow for zero, one, or two Cherenkov cones. We also obtain the spectral energy distribution of the radiation in all cases. Notably, one sector of the model exhibits a novel phenomenon: Cherenkov radiation can be generated by slowly moving charges without a threshold, but only within a specific frequency range. This behavior is not observed in standard materials. Using our exact calculations, we also investigate the reliability of an approximate method previously proposed based on the calculation of the Green’s function for the system.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

See Also

Cherenkov radiation in isotropic chiral matter: Unlocking threshold-free emission

R. Martínez von Dossow, Eduardo Barredo-Alamilla, Maxim A. Gorlach, and L. F. Urrutia
Phys. Rev. D 113, 016010 (2026)

Article Text

References (57)

  1. P. A. Cherenkov, Visible luminescence of pure liquids under the influence of γ-radiation, Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 2, 451 (1934).
  2. S. Vavilov, Cr Acad, Sci. USSR 2, 457 (1934); [Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Vol. 2 (1934) p. 457]; reprinted in Usp. Fiz. Nauk 93, 383 (1967).
  3. I. M. Frank and I. E. Tamm, Coherent visible radiation of fast electrons passing through matter, Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. URSS 14, 109 (1937).
  4. T. Ypsilantis and J. Seguinot, Theory of ring imaging Cherenkov counters, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., Sect. A 343, 30 (1994).
  5. J. J. Aubert et al. (E598 Collaboration), Experimental observation of a heavy particle J, Phys. Rev. Lett. 33, 1404 (1974).
  6. M. Amenomori et al. (Tibet ASgamma Collaboration), First detection of sub-PeV diffuse gamma rays from the galactic disk: Evidence for ubiquitous galactic cosmic rays beyond PeV energies, Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 141101 (2021).
  7. G. Adamo, K. F. MacDonald, Y. Fu, C. Wang, D. Tsai, F. J. García de Abajo, and N. Zheludev, Light well: A tunable free-electron light source on a chip, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 113901 (2009).
  8. S. Liu, P. Zhang, W. Liu, S. Gong, R. Zhong, Y. Zhang, and M. Hu, Surface polariton Cherenkov light radiation source, Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 153902 (2012).
  9. F. Liu, L. Xiao, Y. Ye, M. Wang, K. Cui, X. Feng, W. Zhang, and Y. Huang, Integrated Cherenkov radiation emitter eliminating the electron velocity threshold, Nat. Photonics 11, 289 (2017).
  10. R. Hachadorian, P. Bruza, M. Jermyn, D. Gladstone, B. Pogue, and L. Jarvis, Imaging radiation dose in breast radiotherapy by x-ray ct calibration of Cherenkov light, Nat. Commun. 11, 2298 (2020).
  11. D. A. Alexander, A. Nomezine, L. A. Jarvis, D. J. Gladstone, B. W. Pogue, and P. Bruza, Color Cherenkov imaging of clinical radiation therapy, Light Sci. Appl. 10, 226 (2021).
  12. T. M. Shaffer, E. C. Pratt, and J. Grimm, Utilizing the power of Cerenkov light with nanotechnology, Nat. Nanotechnol. 12, 106 (2017).
  13. X. Wang, L. Li, J. Li, P. Wang, J. Lang, and Y. Yang, Cherenkov luminescence in tumor diagnosis and treatment: A review, Photonics 9, 390 (2022).
  14. N. Kotagiri, G. P. Sudlow, W. J. Akers, and S. Achilefu, Breaking the depth dependency of phototherapy with cerenkov radiation and low-radiance-responsive nanophotosensitizers, Nat. Nanotechnol. 10, 370 (2015).
  15. A. Kamkaew, L. Cheng, S. Goel, H. F. Valdovinos, T. E. Barnhart, Z. Liu, and W. Cai, Cerenkov radiation induced photodynamic therapy using chlorin e6-loaded hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 8, 26630 (2016).
  16. V. P. Zrelov, Cherenkov Radiation in High-Energy Physics, edited by Benny Baruch, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, AEC-tr-7099 (Jerusalem, Israel Program for Scientific Translations; available from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information, Springfield, VA, 1970) translated from Russian by Y. Oren.
  17. H. Hu, X. Lin, and Y. Luo, Free-electron radiation engineering via structured environments, arXiv:2108.06149.
  18. D. Skryabin, Y. Kartashov, O. Egorov, M. Sich, J. Chana, L. Tapia Rodriguez, P. Walker, E. Clarke, B. Royall, M. Skolnick et al., Backward Cherenkov radiation emitted by polariton solitons in a microcavity wire, Nat. Commun. 8, 1554 (2017).
  19. P. Genevet, D. Wintz, A. Ambrosio, A. She, R. Blanchard, and F. Capasso, Controlled steering of Cherenkov surface plasmon wakes with a one-dimensional metamaterial, Nat. Nanotechnol. 10, 804 (2015).
  20. S. N. Galyamin, A. V. Tyukhtin, A. Kanareykin, and P. Schoessow, Reversed Cherenkov-transition radiation by a charge crossing a left-handed medium boundary, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 194802 (2009).
  21. V. Veselago, The electrodynamics of substances with simultaneously negative values of ε and μ, Usp. Fiz. Nauk 92, 517 (1967).
  22. R. A. Shelby, D. R. Smith, and S. Schultz, Experimental verification of a negative index of refraction, Science 292, 77 (2001).
  23. S. Xi, H. Chen, T. Jiang, L. Ran, J. Huangfu, B.-I. Wu, . f. J. A. Kong, and M. Chen, Experimental verification of reversed Cherenkov radiation in left-handed metamaterial, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 194801 (2009).
  24. S. Zhang and X. Zhang, Flipping a photonic shock wave, Physics 2, 91 (2009).
  25. X. Lu, M. A. Shapiro, I. Mastovsky, R. J. Temkin, M. Conde, J. G. Power, J. Shao, E. E. Wisniewski, and C. Jing, Generation of high-power, reversed-Cherenkov wakefield radiation in a metamaterial structure, Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 014801 (2019).
  26. Z. Duan, X. Tang, Z. Wang, Y. Zhang, X. Chen, M. Chen, and Y. Gong, Observation of the reversed Cherenkov radiation, Nat. Commun. 8, 14901 (2017).
  27. O. J. Franca, L. F. Urrutia, and O. Rodríguez-Tzompantzi, Reversed electromagnetic Vavilov-Čerenkov radiation in naturally existing magnetoelectric media, Phys. Rev. D 99, 116020 (2019).
  28. R. Chen, Z. Gong, Z. Wang, X. Xi, B. Zhang, Y. Yang, B. Zhang, I. Kaminer, H. Chen, and X. Lin, A gain route to reversed Cherenkov radiation, Sci. Adv. 11, eads5113 (2025).
  29. B. Zhang, Z. Gong, R. Chen, X. Chen, Y. Yang, H. Chen, I. Kaminer, and X. Lin, Reversed Cherenkov radiation via Fizeau–Fresnel drag, Appl. Phys. Rev. 12 (2025).
  30. E. Barredo-Alamilla, L. F. Urrutia, and M. M. Ferreira, Jr., Electromagnetic radiation in chiral matter: The Cherenkov case, Phys. Rev. D 107, 096024 (2023).
  31. O. J. Franca and S. Y. Buhmann, Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation for parallel motion in three-dimensional topological insulators, Phys. Rev. B 110, 195150 (2024).
  32. R. Martínez von Dossow, E. Barredo-Alamilla, M. A. Gorlach, and L. F. Urrutia, Cherenkov radiation in isotropic chiral matter: The space-frequency domain, Phys. Lett. A 556, 130810 (2025).
  33. D. Colladay and V. A. Kostelecký, CPT violation and the standard model, Phys. Rev. D 55, 6760 (1997).
  34. D. Colladay and V. A. Kostelecký, Lorentz-violating extension of the standard model, Phys. Rev. D 58, 116002 (1998).
  35. R. Jackiw and V. A. Kostelecky, Radiatively induced Lorentz and CPT violation in electrodynamics, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 3572 (1999).
  36. R. A. Martínez von Dossow and L. F. Urrutia, Effective electromagnetic Lagrangians in the derivative expansion method, J. Phys. A 58, 145401 (2025).
  37. C. Adam and F. R. Klinkhamer, Causality and CPT violation from an Abelian Chern-Simons like term, Nucl. Phys. B607, 247 (2001).
  38. V. A. Kostelecky and A. G. M. Pickering, Vacuum photon splitting in Lorentz violating quantum electrodynamics, Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 031801 (2003).
  39. R. Lehnert and R. Potting, Vacuum Cerenkov radiation, Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 110402 (2004).
  40. R. Lehnert and R. Potting, The Cerenkov effect in Lorentz-violating vacua, Phys. Rev. D 70, 125010 (2004); 70, 129906(E) (2004).
  41. C. Kaufhold and F. R. Klinkhamer, Vacuum Cherenkov radiation and photon triple-splitting in a Lorentz-noninvariant extension of quantum electrodynamics, Nucl. Phys. B734, 1 (2006).
  42. D. Colladay, P. McDonald, and R. Potting, Cherenkov radiation with massive, CPT-violating photons, Phys. Rev. D 93, 125007 (2016).
  43. M. Schreck, Vacuum Cherenkov radiation for Lorentz-violating fermions, Phys. Rev. D 96, 095026 (2017).
  44. L. Lisboa-Santos, J. a. A. A. S. Reis, M. Schreck, and M. M. Ferreira, Jr., Planar electrodynamics modified by higher-derivative terms, Phys. Rev. D 108, 115032 (2023).
  45. J. O’Connor and B. Altschul, Radiation from an oscillating dipole in the presence of photon-sector CPT and Lorentz violation, Phys. Rev. D 109, 045005 (2024).
  46. P. D. S. Silva, M. M. Ferreira, M. Schreck, and L. F. Urrutia, Magnetic-conductivity effects on electromagnetic propagation in dispersive matter, Phys. Rev. D 102, 076001 (2020).
  47. P. D. S. Silva, L. Lisboa-Santos, M. M. Ferreira, Jr., and M. Schreck, Effects of CPT-odd terms of dimensions three and five on electromagnetic propagation in continuous matter, Phys. Rev. D 104, 116023 (2021).
  48. O. J. Franca and S. Y. Buhmann, Modification of transition radiation by three-dimensional topological insulators, Phys. Rev. B 105, 155120 (2022).
  49. O. J. Franca and L. F. Urrutia, Radiation from a dipole perpendicular to the interface between two planar semi-infinite magnetoelectric media, Rev. Mex. Fis. 68, 060701 (2022).
  50. P. D. S. Silva, M. J. Neves, and M. M. Ferreira, Jr., Optical properties and energy propagation in a dielectric medium supporting magnetic current, Phys. Rev. B 109, 184439 (2024).
  51. A. Y. Petrov, M. Schreck, and A. R. Vieira, Vacuum Cherenkov radiation for nonminimal dimension-5 lorentz violation, Eur. Phys. J. C 86, 30 (2026).
  52. R. Martínez von Dossow, E. Barredo-Alamilla, M. A. Gorlach, and L. F. Urrutia, Cherenkov radiation in isotropic chiral matter: Unlocking threshold-free emission, Phys. Rev. D 113, 016010 (2026).
  53. J.-R. Soh, F. de Juan, M. G. Vergniory, N. B. M. Schröter, M. C. Rahn, D. Y. Yan, J. Jiang, M. Bristow, P. Reiss, J. N. Blandy, Y. F. Guo, Y. G. Shi, T. K. Kim, A. McCollam, S. H. Simon, Y. Chen, A. I. Coldea, and A. T. Boothroyd, Ideal Weyl semimetal induced by magnetic exchange, Phys. Rev. B 100, 201102 (2019).
  54. S. Nasrallah, D. Santos-Cottin, F. Le Mardelé, I. Mohelský, J. Wyzula, L. Akšamović, P. Sačer, J. W. H. Barrett, W. Galloway, K. Rigaux, F. Guo, M. Puppin, I. Živković, J. H. Dil, M. Novak, C. C. Homes, M. Orlita, N. Barišić, and A. Akrap, Magneto-optical response of the magnetic semiconductors EuCd2X2 (x=p, As, Sb), Phys. Rev. B 110, L201201 (2024).
  55. Z. Gong, J. Chen, R. Chen, X. Zhu, C. Wang, X. Zhang, H. Hu, Y. Yang, B. Zhang, H. Chen et al., Interfacial Cherenkov radiation from ultralow-energy electrons, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 120, e2306601120 (2023).
  56. J. Chen et al., Low-velocity-favored transition radiation, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 113002 (2023).
  57. Y. Adiv, H. Hu, S. Tsesses, R. Dahan, K. Wang, Y. Kurman, A. Gorlach, H. Chen, X. Lin, G. Bartal, and I. Kaminer, Observation of 2d Cherenkov radiation, Phys. Rev. X 13, 011002 (2023).

Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. D 114, 016018– Published 17 July, 2026
  • Received 5 February 2026
  • Accepted 9 June 2026
Crossmark - Check for updates button
Creative Commons Logo

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

Published by the American Physical Society

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation