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arXiv · 2608.20746

Spectral Anisotropy in Transition Radiation from Biaxial Media

Sven Ebel·Bibi Mary Francis·Min Seok Jang·Brian D. Gerardot·N. Asger Mortensen·Mauro Brotons-Gisbert·Sergii Morozov
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Abstract

In anisotropic optical media, the electromagnetic response depends on the orientation of the optical field relative to the material's principal dielectric axes. While this direction dependence is well understood in conventional optics, it should also influence light-generation processes driven by free electrons. Here, we experimentally observe spectrally anisotropic transition radiation from biaxial van der Waals crystals. Using cathodoluminescence spectroscopy on germanium sulphide (GeS) and molybdenum oxydichloride (MoOCl$_2$) crystals, we show that the transition-radiation spectra differ along the principal in-plane optical axes. To describe this spectral anisotropy, we develop a thin-film transition-radiation model that reproduces the experimental observations. Our results demonstrate that transition radiation is a sensitive probe of the axis-dependent dielectric response of biaxial optical media and suggest that optical anisotropy can provide an additional degree of freedom for free electron-driven spectroscopy, radiation sources, and transition-radiation-based diagnostics.

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Sven Ebel, Bibi Mary Francis, Min Seok Jang, Brian D. Gerardot, N. Asger Mortensen, Mauro Brotons-Gisbert, Sergii Morozov. 2026-08-21. Spectral Anisotropy in Transition Radiation from Biaxial Media. https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20746

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