Many materials have a well-characterized refractive index, but these indexes depend strongly upon the frequency of light. Standard refractive index measurements are taken at the "yellow doublet" sodium D line, with a wavelength of 589 nanometers.
There are also weaker dependencies on temperature, pressure/stress, etc., as well on precise material compositions (presence of dopants, etc.); 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 {\displaystyle k} 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.
Refraction, critical angle and total internal reflection of light at the interface between two media.
List
| Name of Material | λ (nm) | refractive index no. n | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vacuum | 1 (by definition) | ||
| Air at STP | 1.000273 | ||
| Gases at 0 °C and 1 atm | |||
| Air | 589.29 | 1.000293 | [1] |
| Carbon dioxide | 589.29 | 1.001 | [2][3][4] |
| 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] | |
| Carbon disulfide | 589.29 | 1.628 | [1] |
| Benzene | 589.29 | 1.501 | [1] |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 589.29 | 1.461 | [1] |
| Silicone oil (nD25) | 589.29 | 1.393–1.403 | [6] |
| Kerosene | 1.39 | ||
| Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) | 589.29 | 1.361 | [1] |
| Acetone | 1.36 | ||
| Water | 589.29 | 1.333 | [1] |
| 10% Glucose solution in water | 589.29 | 1.3477 | [7] |
| 20% Glucose solution in water | 589.29 | 1.3635 | [7] |
| 60% Glucose solution in water | 589.29 | 1.4394 | [7] |
| Solids at room temperature | |||
| Silicon carbide (Moissanite; 6H form) | 589.29 | 2.65 | [8] |
| Titanium dioxide (rutile phase) | 589.29 | 2.614 | [9][10] |
| Diamond | 589.29 | 2.417 | [1] |
| Strontium titanate | 589.29 | 2.41 | [11] |
| Tantalum Pentoxide | 589.29 | 2.15 | [12] |
| Amber | 589.29 | 1.55 | [1] |
| Sodium chloride | 589.29 | 1.544 | [13] |
| Fused silica (a pure form of glass, also called fused quartz) | 589.29 | 1.458 | [1][14] |
| Other materials | |||
| Liquid helium | 1.025 | ||
| Perfluorohexane (Fluorinert FC-72) | 1.251 | [15] | |
| Water ice | 1.31 | ||
| TFE/PDD (Teflon AF) | 1.315 | [16][17] | |
| Cryolite | 1.338 | ||
| Cytop | 1.34 | [18] | |
| Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) | 1.35–1.38 | [19] | |
| Sugar solution, 25% | 1.3723 | [20] | |
| Cornea (human) | 1.373/1.380/1.401 | [21] | |
| Lens (human) | 1.386–1.406 | ||
| Liver (human) | 964 | 1.369 | [22] |
| Intestinal mucosa (human) | 964 | 1.329-1.338 | [23] |
| Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) | 1.403 | [24] | |
| Sylgard 184 (polydimethylsiloxane) | 1.4118 | [25] | |
| Sugar solution, 50% | 1.4200 | [20] | |
| Polylactic acid | 1.46 | [26] | |
| Pyrex (a borosilicate glass) | 1.470 | [27] | |
| Vegetable oil | 1.47 | [28] | |
| Glycerol | 1.4729 | ||
| Sugar solution, 75% | 1.4774 | [20] | |
| Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) | 1.4893–1.4899 | ||
| Halite (rock salt) | 1.516 | ||
| Plate Glass (window glass) | 1.52 | ||
| Crown glass (pure) | 1.50–1.54 | ||
| PETg | 1.57 | ||
| Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) | 1.5750 | ||
| Polycarbonate | 150 | 1.60 | [30] |
| Crown glass (impure) | 1.485–1.755 | ||
| Flint glass (pure) | 1.60–1.62 | ||
| Bromine | 1.661 | ||
| Flint glass (impure) | 1.523–1.925 | ||
| Sapphire | 1.762–1.778 | ||
| Boron nitride | 2-2.14 | [31] | |
| Cubic zirconia | 2.15–2.18 | [32] | |
| Potassium niobate (KNbO3) | 2.28 | ||
| Zinc oxide | 390 | 2.4 | |
| Cinnabar (mercury sulfide) | 3.02 | ||
| Silicon | 1200 - 8500 | 3.42–3.48 | [33] |
| Gallium(III) phosphide | 3.5 | ||
| Gallium(III) arsenide | 3.927 | ||
| Germanium | 3000 - 16000 | 4.05–4.01 | [34] |
See also
Sellmeier equation
Corrective lens#Ophthalmic material property tables
Optical properties of water and ice
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