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The speed and wavelength of light both reduce in media with high refractive index.

However, it is perhaps not intuitively clear how frequency and wavelength behave in refractive media.

A very simple demonstration would be the double slit experiment immersed or embedded in the medium. The fringe spacing could then be directly compared alongside an identical apparatus in air.

Unfortunately, I can't find references to such simple experiments.

Can anyone help?

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  • $\begingroup$ Rayleigh refractometer, water between lens and optical flat in Newton’s ring set up, thickness of mica sheet using double slit etc, etc, . . $\endgroup$
    – Farcher
    Commented Apr 1, 2020 at 13:54
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks. Could you provide a reference? With Newton's rings two media not one is implicitly required and the equations are complicated than for double slit. $\endgroup$
    – cumfy
    Commented Apr 1, 2020 at 14:36
  • $\begingroup$ More complicated $\endgroup$
    – cumfy
    Commented Apr 1, 2020 at 14:37

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Your intuition is correct. Same could be done in various other liquids like sugar water, mineral oil, etc.

A possible complication would be the necessity of measuring the fringe spacing in the liquid, but that can be done.

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  • $\begingroup$ Many thanks. Do you possibly have any references to practical demonstrations ? $\endgroup$
    – cumfy
    Commented Apr 1, 2020 at 13:56
  • $\begingroup$ Why should any one do such an experiment, you can calculate the outcome. But why not do it yourself, instead of double slit use a cd disk and one of the small laser pointers do it in air and then in water $\endgroup$
    – trula
    Commented Aug 27, 2023 at 13:20

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