Vavilov-Cherenkov emission with a twist: a study of the final entangled state

Abstract

We present a theoretical investigation of the Vavilov-Cherenkov (VC) radiation by a plane-wave or twisted electron. Special emphasis is put on the question whether and at what conditions the emitted VC photons can be twisted. For this aim we obtain a general expression in the coordinate and momentum representations for the quantum state of the final electron-photon system that is a result of the radiation process itself and does not depend on the properties of a detector. It is shown that this evolved state is an entangled state of an electron and a photon, and both particles can be twisted. A direct consequence of this result follows: if one uses a detector sensitive to the twisted electron (photon) with the definite projection of the total angular momentum (TAM), then the final photon (electron) also will be in the twisted state with a definite TAM projection. Further, we investigate the polarization properties of the final twisted photon in more general conditions than has been calculated before. Finally, we exploit a close similarity between the discussed VC radiation and the process of the equivalent photon emission in the Weizs\"acker-Williams method and find the corresponding final state.