I wanted to find the refractive index of a nickel, aluminum, and bronze alloy for laser diffraction. Can we say that the refractive index of an alloy is the root mean square value (RMS) of individual elements?
Harsh Zala If by 'lesser diffraction' you mean 'laser diffraction' then I can help you.
The mean RI will be the weighted volume proportions of the RI's of the constituents (because light travels through a volume of space). This is also a consequence of the Gladstone-Dale rules. In practical terms this means that any constituent with a volume of < 10% of the total volume is unlikely to exert much effect on the final refractive index (as usually only 2 decimal places are required for the real and an order of magnitude for the imaginary). You can follow a series of 3 webinars (free registration required) that will take you through the basics with simple calculations. See:
Laser Diffraction Masterclass: Why do you Need Material Optical Properties?