Electrodynamics of moving media and the theory of the Čerenkov effect

Abstract

The generalized Frank & Tamm’s formula for the total energy radiated as Cerenkov radiation by a swiftly moving charged particle in a medium of dielectric constant ∊ and permeability μ has been derived employing the invariance of the phenomenological electrodynamic equations of Maxwell. The scheme is self-consistent, and the idea of the indetectability of the ether wind is contained in it. It is found that the Cerenkov radiation is μ times larger than that predicted by the Frank & Tamm’s formula for μ = 1. Experiments are suggested to detect strong Cerenkov radiation in highly permeable mediums.