- #1
misterwicked
- 9
- 0
Refractive index is defined as
n = speed of light in a vacuum / speed of light in medium
Since both speed of light in a vacuum and speed of light in medium are real number, refractive index also has to be real. But we know that in general refractive index is complex. So what actually is "n" in the above equation? Is it real part of the complex refractive index, its absolute value or something else?
Thanks.
n = speed of light in a vacuum / speed of light in medium
Since both speed of light in a vacuum and speed of light in medium are real number, refractive index also has to be real. But we know that in general refractive index is complex. So what actually is "n" in the above equation? Is it real part of the complex refractive index, its absolute value or something else?
Thanks.