TRANSITION RADIATION OF A CHARGE IN MEDIA WITH A NONUNIFORM POTENTIAL

The influence of a potential barrier on the transition radiation in th e form of volume and surface electromagnetic waves emitted by a charge d particle crossing an interface between media is investigated. It is shown that the volume-wave radiation field arises not only as a result of the jump in the dielectric constant at the boundary hut also as a result of the velocity jump and the reflection of an electron induced by the presence of a nonuniform potential barrier. The angular distrib ution of the transition radiation intensity is obtained. (C) 1998 Amer ican Institute of Physics. [S1063-7842(98)00201-3].