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From: jeric@tybalt.caltech.edu (J. Eric Grove)
Newsgroups: sci.misc,sci.physics
Subject: Re: differences between sound and light waves?
Message-ID: <5537@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: 23 Feb 88 17:41:53 GMT
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Reply-To: jeric@tybalt.caltech.edu.UUCP (J. Eric Grove)
Organization: California Institute of Technology
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In article <3129@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> jfc@athena.mit.edu (John F Carr) writes:
>The blue glow is the result of massive (i.e., not massless)
>particles losing energy as they slow to the speed of light in water.
>
>
>  --John Carr   (jfc@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)


Note that this statement is misleading.  Charged particles lose about 3 orders
of magnitude more energy in ionizing the medium they are traversing than in
generating Cerenkov radiation.  Typical ionization energy losses for
relativistic particles are ~2*Z*Z MeVcm2/g, while typical energy losses to
Cerenkov radiation are ~Z*Z keVcm2/g.  Mr. C's radiation is only a minor
player in energy loss.

		J. Eric Grove
		jeric@tybalt.caltech.edu
		...rutgers!cit-vax!tybalt.caltech.edu!jeric