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587.


Problem 43.5 (RHK)


When an electron moves through a medium at a speed exceeding the speed of light in that medium, it radiates electromagnetic waves (the Cerenkov effect). We have to find the minimum speed that an electron must have in a liquid of index of refraction 1.54 in order to radiate.


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The speed of electromagnetic waves in a medium of index of refraction n is given in terms of the speed of electromagnetic waves in vacuum, c, as

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The minimum speed that an electron must have in a liquid of index of refraction 1.54 in order to radiate will be