Revisiting Cherenkov radiation in anisotropic chiral matter: exact calculation reveals threshold-free emission

Abstract

We explore Cherenkov radiation in anisotropic chiral matter within the framework of Carroll-Field-Jackiw electrodynamics, where the axion angle exhibits a linear dependence on position. By deriving closed-form expressions for the polarization modes of electromagnetic fields in cylindrical coordinates and the space-frequency domain, we solve the modified Maxwell's equations. To enforce causality, we impose outgoing wave boundary conditions at a cylindrical surface at infinity, which yields the dispersion relations. Our analysis uncovers the specific angles and frequency ranges that allow for zero, one, or two Cherenkov cones. We also obtain the spectral energy distribution of the radiation in all cases. Notably, one sector of the model exhibits a novel phenomenon: Cherenkov radiation can be generated by slowly moving charges without a threshold, but only within a specific frequency range. This behavior is not observed in standard materials. Using our exact calculations, we also investigate the reliability of an approximate method previously proposed based on the calculation of the Green's function for the system.

Comments: 31 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Physical Review D