Are there any tours or opportunities available to the public where one can see Cherenkov Radiation?
Cherenkov Radiation (in my layman's understanding) is a blue light that appears when particles with an electric charge go through a medium faster than the speed of light in that medium.
I regularly listen to an Australian science podcast called Dr Karl with TripleJ FM.. Dr Karl has mentioned more than a couple of times that he went to see this effect at a lab in Australia, but has never made it clear whether he did this because he's in the science world, or as a regular Joe tourist.
I did a quick search but can't find anything online. Anyone know if there are tours, preferably in North America or Oceania, where you can see this?
Best Answer
Reed College, an undergraduate institution in Portland, Oregon, maintains a research reactor. The FAQ says that tours can be arranged for groups; the page does not say if an individual may join.
My son attended Reed 2000-2004, and I took a tour during that time. Cherenkov Radiation was indeed visible, and interesting!
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Can you see Cherenkov radiation?
In fact, most Cherenkov radiation is in the ultraviolet spectrum\u2014it is only with sufficiently accelerated charges that it even becomes visible; the sensitivity of the human eye peaks at green, and is very low in the violet portion of the spectrum.What is Cherenkov radiation Where can we observe it?
Cherenkov radiation is merely a kind of electromagnetic radiation which we observe when a charged particle moves at a faster speed than the speed of light in that medium in which charged particle is moving. Thus, the speed of the particle must be faster than the phase velocity of light instead of overall velocity.Why is Cherenkov radiation important?
This type of radiation is enormously useful in particle physics, since it provides a terrific way to detect high-energy particles! Not only can we observe the presence of a high-energy charged particle by observing the light that it radiates, we can learn more by studying the light in detail.Is Cherenkov radiation harmful?
Exposure to Cherenkov radiation for a long time can yield potential effects such as tanning and eye sight related problems, but in general, the radiation does not pose any danger to life.How does Cerenkov radiation work?
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Answer 2
The Technical University of Munich operates the research reactor FRM II (official website). It is a very small reactor with only a single fuel rod (fotos, panorama), so there is not much Cherenkov radiation to see though. Furthermore, sometimes it is shutdown for maintenance. Nevertheless a visit is certainly worth it.
They offer guided tours, mostly to students of the university, and once a year there is an open day for the general public (last one was in September 2019). For schools and student groups they also arrange separate tours.
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