Accelerated-Cherenkov radiation and signatures of radiation reaction

In this manuscript we examine an accelerated charged particle moving through an optical medium, and explore the emission of accelerated-Cherenkov radiation. The particle's reaction to acceleration creates a low-frequency spectral cutoff in the Cherenkov emission that has a sharp resonance at the superluminal threshold. Moreover, the effect of recoil on the radiation is incorporated kinematically through the use of an Unruh-DeWitt detector by setting an energy gap, i.e., the change in electron energy, to the recoil momentum of the emitted photon. The simultaneous presence of recoil and acceleration conspire to produce a localized resonance peak in the emission. More generally, we discuss how non-trivial dispersion relations, either in optical media or by effective curved spacetimes, can give rise to the particle recoil by its quantized radiation emission, forming a novel type of radiation reaction phenomenon. These theoretical considerations could be used to construct high precision tests of radiation reaction using Cherenkov emission under acceleration.