Cerenkov Radiation from Quasars

Sean Ryan

Advisor: Dr. Victor Mansfield

When a particle travels through a magnetoplasma at a velocity greater than the phase velocity of light, Cerenkov radiation is emitted at a characteristic angle and frequency. Though synchrotron radiation from particles ejected from quasars is frequently studied, Cerenkov radiation has received little or no attention. This paper provides a rigorous derivation of the Cerenkov condition via a Fourier Transform method. To investigate the possibility of Cerenkov radiation from quasars, this paper calculates the power in Cerenkov radiation for conditions appropriate to quasars.