  In ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions a finite size QCD medium is
created. In this paper we compute radiative energy loss to zeroth order in
opacity by taking into account finite size effects. Transition radiation occurs
on the boundary between the finite size medium and the vacuum, and we show that
it lowers the difference between medium and vacuum zeroth order radiative
energy loss relative to the infinite size medium case. Further, in all previous
computations of light parton radiation to zeroth order in opacity, there was a
divergence caused by the fact that the energy loss is infinite in the vacuum
and finite in the QCD medium. We show that this infinite discontinuity is
naturally regulated by including the transition radiation.
