Probing the Brans-Dicke gravitational field by Cherenkov radiation
The possibility that a charged particle propagating in a gravitational field described by Brans-Dicke theory of gravity could emit Cherenkov radiation is explored. This process is kinematically allowed depending on parameters occurring in the theory. The Cherenkov effect disappears as the BD parameter ω → ∞, i.e. in the limit in which the Einstein theory is recovered, giving a strong signature to probe the validity of the Brans-Dicke theory.