Questions tagged [refraction]
Change in the direction of propagation of a wave when its transmitting medium changes. The tag does also apply to index of refraction.
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Analysis of the reflection in metal
In order to solve the reflexion in a material with a complex index the solution I've found on textbooks is to define $\hat{n}\cos{\phi}:=a+bi$ where $\hat{n}=n_r+n_ii$ is the complex index and then ...
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Why do seismic P waves convert to S waves at an interface?
Why does a P wave refract and become an S wave when it hits an interface? What is the mechanism behind this? If P waves are longitudinal and S waves are transverse, how can this change occur?
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Tangential rainbows?
My kids just made me aware of a rainbow phenomenon I have never heard of before, happening in the sky up above our heads. I have heard of (and seen) double rainbows before, and I was aware that it's ...
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What can be the possible causes for variation in stress-induced birefringence in an isotropic material?
Birefringence is the phenomenon of a material having a refractive index that depends on the polarization and propagation direction of light. When an unpolarized light passes through such a material, ...
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Calculating the refractive index of water with the Ewald-Oseen formula
The Ewald-Oseen theorem gives the expression
$$n=\sqrt{1+\frac{i\sigma}{\epsilon_0\omega}}$$
for the refractive index of a material of conductivity $\sigma$ for an electromagnetic wave with angular ...
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How to estimate change in refractive index due to acoustic wave travelling in quartz?
I'm studying acousto-optic modulators and the basic principle of operation is that an acoustic/sound wave is made to travel along one direction of a crystal (say quartz). This creates a pressure wave ...
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Shouldn't a part of the ray have to travel $\frac{\lambda_2}{2}$ extra path in the medium $n_2$?
Basically, my teacher had given the class a question regarding thin film interference that, there is a medium with refractive index $n_1$ below that there is another medium with thickness $t$ with ...
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How does a non-infinite monochromatic plane ray of light know which way to refract?
I have been making a simulation of light traveling in medium from classical physics perspective and while trying to makes sence of a traveling wave packet i realized i don't understand something very ...
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How do we know that light cannot travel faster than it does?
We assume the speed of light in vacuum is its maximum speed but can we not assume that it could be faster, or slower?
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If the velocity of light is different in different medium is it wavelength changes or frequency changes?
We know that the velocity of light is equal to the product of it's wavelength and frequency. And when light goes from vacuum to any other medium it's velocity changes depending the mediums refractive ...
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What is the refraction index in the upper atmosphere (e.g. thermosphere)?
I've been searching for the refraction index in the upper layers of atmosphere such as stratosphere and thermosphere but I can't find it, all that I've seen is all equations without any numbers that I ...
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Maximum intensification by refraction
Suppose that a beam of light in a medium with index of refraction $n$ reaches the surface of the medium, with vacuum on the outside. Its incident angle with respect to the normal is $\theta$. Only a ...
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When does refraction begin?
As a wave function (a single quantum of field excitation) enters a refractory medium, does it begin to refract only after the entire wavelength has entered or does the leading edge of the wavelength ...
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WHY do waves diffract - what is the mechanism behind the diffraction?
Having recently studied wave diffraction at an introductory level, I don't feel that I understand why waves diffract like they do.
What is it about the obstacle or the waves interaction with it which ...
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optical homogeneity of organic thin films
Prior to further analysis (like variable angle ellipsometric spectroscopy) I check thin films of organic materials vacuum deposited on glass substrates for their optical homogeneity under lineraly ...
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