Recent advances of transition radiation: Fundamentals and applications

Transition radiation is a fundamental process of light emission and occurs whenever charged particle moves across an inhomogeneous region. One feature transition that it can create at arbitrary frequency under any velocity. Therefore, significant importance to both science practical applications. In this paper, we provide brief historical review its recent development. Moreover, pay special attention four typical applications radiation, namely the detection high-energy particles, coherent sources, beam diagnosis, excitation surface waves. Finally, give outlook for research tendency especially flexible manipulation by exploiting artificially-engineered materials nanostructures, such as gain materials, metamaterials, spatial-temporal meta-boundaries, layered structures with periodic or non-periodic stacking.