List of refractive indices
Many materials have a well-characterized refractive index, but these indices depend strongly upon the frequency of light. Standard refractive index measurements are taken at yellow doublet sodium D line, with a wavelength of 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 . 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.
List
| Material | λ (nm) | n | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vacuum | 1 (by definition) | ||
| Air at STP | 1.000277 | ||
| Gases at 0 °C and 1 atm | |||
| Air | 589.29 | 1.000293 | [1] |
| Carbon dioxide | 589.29 | 1.00045 | [2] |
| Helium | 589.29 | 1.000036 | [1] |
| Hydrogen | 589.29 | 1.000132 | [1] |
| Liquids at 20 °C | |||
| Arsenic trisulfide and sulfur in methylene iodide | 1.9 | [5] | |
| Benzene | 589.29 | 1.501 | [1] |
| Carbon disulfide | 589.29 | 1.628 | [1] |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 589.29 | 1.461 | [1] |
| Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) | 589.29 | 1.361 | [1] |
| Silicone oil | 1.52045 | [6] | |
| Water | 589.29 | 1.3330 | [1] |
| Solids at room temperature | |||
| Titanium dioxide (Rutile phase ) | 589.29 | 2.496 | [7] |
| Diamond | 589.29 | 2.419 | [1] |
| Strontium titanate | 589.29 | 2.41 | |
| Amber | 589.29 | 1.55 | [1] |
| Fused silica (also called Fused Quartz) | 589.29 | 1.458 | [1] |
| Sodium chloride | 589.29 | 1.544 | [8] |
| Other materials | |||
| Liquid helium | 1.025 | ||
| Water ice | 1.31 | ||
| Cornea (human) | 1.373/1.380/1.401 | [9] | |
| Lens (human) | 1.386 - 1.406 | ||
| Acetone | 1.36 | ||
| Ethanol | 1.36 | ||
| Glycerol | 1.4729 | ||
| Bromine | 1.661 | ||
| Teflon AF | 1.315 | [10] | |
| Teflon | 1.35 - 1.38 | ||
| Cytop | 1.34 | [11] | |
| Sylgard 184 | 1.4118 | [12] | |
| PLA | 1.46 | [13] | |
| Acrylic glass | 1.490 - 1.492 | ||
| Polycarbonate | 1.584 - 1.586 | ||
| PMMA | 1.4893 - 1.4899 | ||
| PETg | 1.57 | ||
| PET | 1.5750 | ||
| Crown glass (pure) | 1.50 - 1.54 | ||
| Flint glass (pure) | 1.60 - 1.62 | ||
| Crown glass (impure) | 1.485 - 1.755 | ||
| Flint glass (impure) | 1.523 - 1.925 | ||
| Pyrex (a borosilicate glass) | 1.470 | [14] | |
| Cryolite | 1.338 | ||
| Rock salt | 1.516 | ||
| Sapphire | 1.762–1.778 | ||
| Sugar Solution, 25% | 1.3723 | [15] | |
| Sugar Solution, 50% | 1.4200 | [15] | |
| Sugar Solution, 75% | 1.4774 | [15] | |
| Cubic zirconia | 2.15 - 2.18 | ||
| Potassium Niobate (KNbO3) | 2.28 | ||
| Silicon carbide | 2.65 - 2.69 | ||
| Cinnabar (Mercury sulfide) | 3.02 | ||
| Gallium(III) phosphide | 3.5 | ||
| Gallium(III) arsenide | 3.927 | ||
| Zinc Oxide | 390 | 2.4 | |
| Germanium | 4.01 | ||
| Silicon | 590 | 3.96 | [16] |
See also
- Sellmeier equation
- Corrective lens#Ophthalmic material property tables
- Optical properties of water and ice
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Optics, Fourth Edition. Pearson Higher Education. 18 March 2003. ISBN 978-0-321-18878-6.
{{cite book}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Introduction to Geometrical and Physical Optics. McGraw-Hill Book Company, INC. 1953.
{{cite book}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Chemical Rubber Publishing Co. 1957.
{{cite book}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Introduction to Optics, Third Edition. Pearson Prentice Hall. 2007. p. 221. ISBN 0-13-149933-5.
{{cite book}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Meyrowitz, R, A compilation and classification of immersion media of high index of refraction, American Mineralogist 40: 398 (1955)
- ^ Silicon and Oil Refractive Index Standards
- ^ RefractiveIndex.INFO - Refractive index and related constants
- ^ College Physics, 6th Edition. Brooks/Cole. 2003. p. 692. ISBN 978-0-03-035114-3.
{{cite book}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Refractive index of the human corneal epithelium and stroma". J Refract Surg. 11 (2): 100–105. 1995 Mar-Apr. PMID 7634138.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Teflon AF". Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ "Cytop". Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ "184 Silicone Elastomer" (PDF) (Product Information). Dow Corning. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
- ^ "Poly(Lactic Acid): Synthesis, Structures, Properties, Processing, and Applications; Chapter 8: Optical Properties". Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- ^ University of Liverpool. "Absolute Refractive Index". Retrieved 18 October 2007.
- ^ a b c "Manual for Sugar solution Prism" (PDF). Retrieved 21 March 2012.
- ^ "Optical Properties of Silicon". Retrieved 31 May 2009.
External links
- International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam
- Ioffe institute, Russian Federation
- Crystran, United Kingdom
- Jena University, Germany
- Hyperphysics list of refractive indices
- Luxpop: Index of refraction values and photonics calculations
- Kaye and Laby Online Provided by the National Physical Laboratory, UK
- List of Refractive Indices of Solvents