https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-15220-8
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
Vacuum Cherenkov radiation for nonminimal dimension-5 Lorentz violation
1
Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Caixa Postal 5008, 58051-970, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
2
Programa de Pós-graduação em Física, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Campus Universitário do Bacanga, 65080-805, São Luís, MA, Brazil
3
Coordenação do Curso de Física-Bacharelado, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Campus Universitário do Bacanga, 65080-805, São Luís, MA, Brazil
4
Departamento de Ciências Exatas e Educação, Instituto de Ciências Agrárias, Exatas e Biológicas de Iturama-ICAEBI, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro-UFTM, 38280-000, Iturama, MG, Brazil
a
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Received:
9
September
2025
Accepted:
16
December
2025
Published online:
17
January
2026
Abstract
Vacuum Cherenkov radiation is investigated in the Lorentz-violating Standard-Model Extension for isotropic dim-5 operators 
and 
in the fermion sector. Both the kinematics and dynamics of this process are studied by analytical and numerical means, leading to its decay and radiated-energy rates as functions of the initial-fermion momentum. We adopt the point of view that vacuum Cherenkov radiation is actually a physical phenomenon expected to occur for a charged, massive fermion in the presence of Lorentz violation, when some additional requirements are satisfied. The absence of this effect in ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays detected on Earth allows us to infer stringent bounds on isotropic dim-5 Lorentz violation in protons, quarks, and electrons.
© The Author(s) 2026
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Funded by SCOAP3.
