Explicit spacetime symmetry breaking in matter: the reversed Vavilov-\v{C}erenkov radiation

Abstract

We show that reversed Vavilov-\v{C}erenkov radiation occurs simultaneously with the forward output in naturally existing materials when an electric charge moves with a constant velocity perpendicular to the planar interface between two magnetoelectric media. Using the Green's function in the far-field approximation we calculate the angular distribution of the radiated energy per unit frequency obtaining a non-zero contribution in the backward direction.