Abstract
This chapter analyzes various aspects of Cherenkov radiation. The chapter starts with a history of the theoretical prediction by Oliver Heaviside of a radiation produced by a charged particle traveling at velocities exceeding the speed of light in transparent medium and the discovery of the radiation by Pavel Cherenkov and Sergei Vavilov. The theory and properties of Cherenkov radiation are reviewed, including the threshold condition for its production, threshold particle energies, the photon spatial asymmetry of Cherenkov radiation, the photon spectrum and radiation intensity, and the production of Cherenkov radiation from gamma-ray interactions. The chapter includes a thorough review of the applications of Cherenkov radiation for particle measurement and particle identification with a description of the following instrumentation and methods: threshold Cherenkov counters, ring imaging Cherenkov (RICH) counters, proximity-focusing RICH counters, time-of-propagation Cherenkov counters, time-of-flight Cherenkov counters, the detection and measurement of neutrinos, and radionuclide analysis.
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