We know that the speed of light is constant in a vacuum and has the value c= 3× 10^8 m/s. But in a medium such as glass(refractive index=1.5) the speed of light is 2× 10^8 m/s. Now considering the fact that the glass is also a part of the universe, and the maximum speed limit of the universe is c, so is it possible to cross the speed of light in a medium such as glass? Or is it that for any medium, the maximum speed that can be achieved is the speed of light?
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Vivek Pandey
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3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherenkov_radiation – G. Smith Mar 26 '20 at 05:26
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Does this answer your question? What happens if light/particles exceeded the speed of light for a particular medium – John Rennie Mar 26 '20 at 05:29
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Yeah, i got it that particles can indeed travel faster than light in some media, giving rise to Cherenkov radiation. But then how is c related to the speed of light? – Vivek Pandey Mar 26 '20 at 07:26
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@VivekPandey: $c$ is speed of light in vacuum. – Martin Vesely Mar 27 '20 at 15:04