Many physical and chemical factors can affect the refractive index of materials. I want to know the factors which are theoretically and experimentally proved.
Dear Arvind,
the refractive index is one of the most sensitive parameters of materials. It depends on outer and inner properties. Outer factors are electric and magnetic field, temperature, frequency, pressure. Inner properties are doping level, orientation with respect to fields ( for anisotropic crystals), crystal structure, modification (crystalline, polycrystal, amorph), and so on.
Yours
R. Mitdank
Dear Arvind Sharma,
The factors which affect the value of the refractive index are:
01. Temperature :
- Refractive index values are normally determined at standard temperature.
- A higher temperature means the liquid becomes less dense & less viscous, causing light to travel faster in the medium. This results in a smaller value for the refractive index due to a smaller ratio.
- A lower temperature means the liquid becomes denser & has a higher viscosity, causing light to travel slower in the medium. This results in a larger value for the refractive index due to a larger ratio.
- Refractometers usually have a means of temperature regulation.
02. Wavelength of light :
- Refractive index varies with wavelength linearly because different wavelengths interfere to different extents with the atoms of the medium.
- It is important to use monochromatic light to prevent dispersion of light into different colours.
- The chosen wavelength should not be absorbed by the medium.
- The sodium D line at 598 nm is the most frequently used wavelength of light for a refractometer.
I hope I have answered your question.
With Best Wishes,
Samir G. Pandya
Hi
refractive index of a medium depends upon
1- refractive index of the surrounding .
2- optical density .
3-wavelength of the incident light .
4-temperature..
Dear Arvind,
I will not repeat what has been said by the colleagues. The refractive index is equal of the square root of the dielectric constant. Mostly it is used the wavelengths of light to characterize the bending of light when it is transmitted from medium to medium.
The factors affecting the dielectric constant affects also the refractive index.
So, the refractive index depends on the polarizability of the materials. The polarizability depends on the nature of the chemical bond of the material. There is the orientation polarization, the ionic polarization and the electronic polarization.
The orientational polarization plays no role in the light frequency range because the dipoles are heavy and can not rapidly response to follow the light waves.
May be electronic polarization that are responsive to the light waves.
The electronic polarizability depends on the electronic structure of the atoms constituting the material.
The dielectric constant depends on temperature, and frequency in addition in some materials it depends on the magnitude of the applied electric field. In this case the material will be nonlinear.
Best wishes
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