Reversed Cherenkov-Transition Radiation by a Charge Crossing a Left-Handed Medium Boundary

We analyze the radiation from a charged particle crossing the boundary between an ordinary medium and a "left-handed" metamaterial. We obtain exact and approximate expressions for the field components and develop algorithms for their computation. The spatial radiation in this system can be separated into three distinct components, corresponding to ordinary transition radiation having a relatively large magnitude, Cherenkov radiation, and reversed Cherenkov-transition radiation (RCTR). The last one is explained by reflection and refraction of reversed Cherenkov radiation at the interface. Conditions for generating of RCTR are obtained. We note properties of this radiation that have potential applications in the detection of charged particles and accelerator beams and for the characterization of metamaterial macroscopic parameters (epsilon, mu).