Transverse‐Electric Cherenkov Radiation for TeV‐Scale Particle Detection

Abstract Cherenkov radiation enables high‐energy particle identification through its velocity‐dependent emission angle, yet conventional detectors fail to detect momenta beyond tens of GeV/ c owing to the absence of natural materials with near‐unity refractive indices. The limitation is overcome by demonstrating directional Cherenkov radiation from transverse‐electric (TE) graphene plasmons, excited by a swift charged particle travelling above suspended monolayer graphene. Crucially, TE graphene plasmons exhibit a near‐unity mode index, sustaining high sensitivity of the Cherenkov angle to relativistic velocities up to the TeV/ c regime. The radiation further maintains exceptional robustness against particle‐graphene separation changes, enabled by the TE mode's low transverse decay rate. This ultracompact platform is electrically tunable, allowing on‐chip, reconfigurable detection of ultrahigh‐energy particles and extending measurable momenta by two orders of magnitude beyond existing detectors.