The key difference between Bremsstrahlung and Cherenkov radiation is that Bremsstrahlung radiation is the radiation that forms when a charged particle accelerates whereas Cherenkov radiation is the optical equivalent of a sonic boom that is observed when a particle breaks the light barrier in a medium.
Radiation is the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high energy particles, which cause ionization.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Bremsstrahlung Radiation
3. What is Cherenkov Radiation
4. Side by Side Comparison – Bremsstrahlung vs Cherenkov Radiation in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Bremsstrahlung Radiation?
Bremsstrahlung radiation the radiation that is given off by a charged particle due to its acceleration caused by an electric field or another charged particle. The charged particle that undergoes acceleration here is most often an electron which has a negative charge. The other charged particle that can cause the electron to accelerate is either a proton or an atomic nucleus. The name Bremsstrahlung originates from the German meaning “braking radiation” -this is because of the way in which electrons are braked when they hit a metal target.
Figure 01: Bremsstrahlung Produced by a High-energy Electron Deflected in the Electric Field of an Atomic Nucleus
When producing this radiation type, the incident electrons are “free”, meaning that these electrons are not bound to an atom or ion, both before and after the braking. Moreover, the spectrum of this type of radiation is continuous. Apart from that, if the energy of the incident electrons is high enough, they emit X-rays after they have been braked.
A common example of a Bremsstrahlung radiation that is observable in the universe is the radiation that comes from the hot intracluster gas of galaxy clusters.
What is Cherenkov Radiation?
Cherenkov radiation is a type of electromagnetic radiation that is emitted when a charged particle passes through a dielectric medium at speed greater than the phase velocity of light in that medium. Often, the charged particle that we are considering here is an electron. The meaning of the term “phase velocity” is the speed of propagation of a wave in a medium.
Figure 02: Appearance of Cherenkov Radiation in the Core of the Advanced Test Reactor
A classic example of this type of radiation is the characteristic blue glow of an underwater nuclear reactor. The cause for this type of radiation is similar to the cause of a sonic boom – the sharp sound heard when faster than sound movement occurs. This radiation was named after the scientist Pavel Cherenkov.
What is the Difference Between Bremsstrahlung and Cherenkov Radiation?
Radiation is the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high energy particles which cause ionization. The key difference between Bremsstrahlung and Cherenkov radiation is that Bremsstrahlung radiation is the radiation that forms when a charged particle accelerates whereas Cherenkov radiation is the optical equivalent of a sonic boom that is observed when a particle breaks the light barrier in a medium. The radiation that comes from the hot intracluster gas of galaxy clusters is an example of Bremsstrahlung radiation while the characteristic blue glow of an underwater nuclear reactor is an example of Cherenkov radiation.
Folowing infographic tabulates side-by-side the differences between Bremsstrahlung and Cherenkov radiation.
Summary – Bremsstrahlung vs Cherenkov Radiation
Bremsstrahlung and Cherenkov radiation are two types of radiation. The key difference between Bremsstrahlung and Cherenkov radiation is that Bremsstrahlung radiation is the radiation that forms when a charged particle accelerates whereas Cherenkov radiation is the optical equivalent of a sonic boom that is observed when a particle breaks the light barrier in a medium.
Reference:
1. “Cherenkov Radiation.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Nov. 2020, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
2. “Bremsstrahlung” By No machine-readable author provided. Journey234 assumed. – No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims) (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
1. “Advanced Test Reactor” By Argonne National Laboratory – originally posted to Flickr as Advanced Test Reactor core, Idaho National LaboratoryUploaded using F2ComButton (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia