officescape - 30-4-2018 at 00:00
Someone posted on I believe this forum that in the age of dangerous toys and radioactive cosmetics, there was a lamp based on cherenkov radiation. I
can't find the post now but wanted to know if it was true.
I don't understand the physics as it would require water around a radiation source, which would require a powerful source to penetrate the glass of
the water tank.
Anyway would be curious if these were ever used by the general public or just research toys and what types of sources they used.
DavidJR - 30-4-2018 at 13:30
That sounds like a horrendous idea 
LearnedAmateur - 30-4-2018 at 21:51
The physics behind it can be summed up simply, you need particles travelling faster than light in that medium - here, electrons serve that purpose as
light travels slower when in water; Cherenkov radiation can be thought of as a sonic boom with light, where electrons emulate a bullet for instance,
and light oscillations are analogous to the pressure waves in air. Although, this phenomenon occurs deep within a nuclear reactor, I seriously doubt
it would be possible without quickly killing everyone within the room due to radiation exposure, which you funnily enough don’t get with a good old
torch or flashlight! Plus, they’d probably be brighter too without going through all the hassle of constructing a portable nuclear reactor.
unionised - 1-5-2018 at 11:45
It would take a degree of galloping insanity that even the former USSR would wince about.
But that doesn't mean nobody did it.