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List of refractive indices
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Material | λ (nm) | n | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vacuum | 1 (exactly) | ||
| Air @ STP | 1.0002926 | ||
| Gases @ 0 °C and 1 atm | |||
| Air | 589.29 | 1.000293 | [1] |
| Helium | 589.29 | 1.000036 | [1] |
| Hydrogen | 589.29 | 1.000132 | [1] |
| Carbon dioxide | 589.29 | 1.00049 | [1] |
| Liquids @ 20 °C | |||
| Benzene | 589.29 | 1.501 | [1] |
| Water | 589.29 | 1.333 | [1] |
| Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) | 589.29 | 1.361 | [1] |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 589.29 | 1.461 | [1] |
| Carbon disulfide | 589.29 | 1.628 | [1] |
| Solids at room temperature | |||
| Diamond | 589.29 | 2.419 | [1] |
| Amber | 589.29 | 1.55 | [1] |
| Fused silica | 589.29 | 1.458 | [1] |
| Sodium chloride | 589.29 | 1.50 | [1] |
| Other materials | |||
| Pyrex (a borosilicate glass) | 1.470 | [2] | |
| Ruby | 1.760 | [2] | |
| Water ice | 1.31 | ||
| Cryolite | 1.338 | ||
| Acetone | 1.36 | ||
| Ethanol | 1.36 | ||
| Teflon | 1.35 - 1.38 | ||
| Glycerol | 1.4729 | ||
| Acrylic glass | 1.490 - 1.492 | ||
| Rock salt | 1.516 | ||
| Crown glass (pure) | 1.50 - 1.54 | ||
| Salt (NaCl) | 1.544 | ||
| Polycarbonate | 1.584 - 1.586 | ||
| PMMA | 1.4893 - 1.4899 | ||
| PETg | 1.57 | ||
| PET | 1.5750 | ||
| Flint glass (pure) | 1.60 - 1.62 | ||
| Crown glass (impure) | 1.485 - 1.755 | ||
| Bromine | 1.661 | ||
| Flint glass (impure) | 1.523 - 1.925 | ||
| Cubic zirconia | 2.15 - 2.18 | ||
| Diamond | 2.419 | ||
| Moissanite | 2.65 - 2.69 | ||
| Cinnabar (Mercury sulfide) | 3.02 | ||
| Gallium(III) phosphide | 3.5 | ||
| Gallium(III) arsenide | 3.927 | ||
| Silicon | 4.01 | ||
Many materials have a well-characterized refractive index, but these indices depend strongly upon the frequency of light. Therefore, any numeric value for the index is meaningless unless the associated frequency is specified. Standard refractive index measurements are taken at yellow sodium D line, 589 nanometres.
There are also weaker dependencies on temperature, pressure/stress, et cetera, as well on precise material compositions (presence of dopants et cetera); for many materials and typical conditions, however, these variations are at the percent level or less. Thus, it is especially important to cite the source for an index measurement if precision is required.
In general, an index of refraction is a complex number with both a real and imaginary part, where the latter indicates the strength of absorption loss at a particular wavelength—thus, the imaginary part is sometimes called the extinction coefficient k. Such losses become particularly significant, for example, in metals at short (e.g. visible) wavelengths, and must be included in any description of the refractive index.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m (18 March 2003) Optics, Fourth Edition. Pearson Higher Education. ISBN 9780321188786.
- ^ a b University of Liverpool. Absolute Refractive Index. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
Please Cite Use Wikipedia:Footnotes and Wikipedia:Citing sources
- Sellmeier equation
- Corrective lens#Ophthalmic material property tables
- Optical properties of water and ice
- International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam
- Filmetrics Corporation of San Diego, California, 2002
- Ioffe institute, Russian Federation
- Crystran, United Kingdom
- Jena University, Germany
- Hyperphysics list of refractive indices
- Luxpop: Index of refraction values and photonics calculations