Induced Current Due to Electromagnetic Shock Produced by Charge Impact on a Conducting Surface

This article compares the transient induced current due to the electromagnetic shock produced by a charged particle impacting a perfectly conducting plate, with the classical, quasi-static induced current of Ramo and Shockley (RS). We consider the simple model of a line charge, removed upon striking the plate. We find that the induced current due to the shock is negligible compared with the RS current for nonrelativistic impact energies, but is more significant as the impact energy becomes mildly relativistic. The implications of these findings are discussed.