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In terms of eye glasses, a lens with a high refractive index will be lighter and will have thinner edges than its conventional "low" index counterpart. In this case, the speed of sound is used instead of that of light, and a reference medium other than vacuum must be chosen. It can also be applied to wave phenomena such as sound.
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Sopra refractive index database full#
The concept of refractive index applies within the full electromagnetic spectrum, from X-rays to radio waves. Nevertheless, refractive indices for materials are commonly reported using a single value for n, typically measured at 633 nm. For most materials the refractive index changes with wavelength by several percent across the visible spectrum. The imaginary part then handles the attenuation, while the real part accounts for refraction. Light propagation in absorbing materials can be described using a complex-valued refractive index. This effect can be observed in prisms and rainbows, and as chromatic aberration in lenses. This causes white light to split into constituent colors when refracted. The refractive index varies with wavelength. As a result, the perceived color of the refracted light to a human eye, which depends on the frequency, is not affected by the refraction or the refractive index of the medium. This implies that vacuum has a refractive index of 1, and that the frequency ( f = v/ λ) of the wave is not affected by the refractive index. The refractive index can be seen as the factor by which the speed and the wavelength of the radiation are reduced with respect to their vacuum values: the speed of light in a medium is v = c/ n, and similarly the wavelength in that medium is λ = λ 0/ n, where λ 0 is the wavelength of that light in vacuum. The refractive indices also determine the amount of light that is reflected when reaching the interface, as well as the critical angle for total internal reflection, their intensity ( Fresnel's equations) and Brewster's angle. Where θ 1 and θ 2 are the angles of incidence and refraction, respectively, of a ray crossing the interface between two media with refractive indices n 1 and n 2. This is described by Snell's law of refraction, n 1 sin θ 1 = n 2 sin θ 2, The refractive index determines how much the path of light is bent, or refracted, when entering a material.