Why do electrons produce electromagnetic radiation?
‘Electromagnetic’ (EM) radiation is caused by the acceleration of charged particles, by the movement of a magnetic field (induction), or exists as light in some form (photons). Wikipedia’s link: http://www.lbl.gov/MicroWorlds/ALSTool/EMSpec/EMSpec.html Electrons are negatively charged particles, so when they are accelerated, they emit EM radiation. Note that travelling in a circular or other curved path is considered acceleration. If you were to capture an electron and use a magnetic field to make it travel in a circle, it would give off EM radiation. By controlling the energy in the electron, for example by changing the intensity of the magnetic field, you can change the characteristics of the radiation.
