Refraction index vs. wavelength?

AI Thread Summary
The refractive index varies with wavelength, and this relationship is not linear. When light of a single wavelength is dispersed through a prism, different wavelengths exhibit different refractive indices. Cauchy's Formula, n = A + B/(lambda)^2, provides an empirical relationship between refractive index (n) and wavelength (lambda), where A and B are constants. This formula indicates that the refractive index decreases as the wavelength increases. Understanding this relationship is crucial in optics and materials science.
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How does the refraction index vary with wavelength?

For example, if you take light that initially has just one wavelength and disperse it through a prism and calculate the different indices for each wavelength. I'm guessing they'll be different... Is it linear? exponential? etc.
 
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I'm not sure of the exact physics defining the relationship between the refractive index and the wavelength, but there is an empirical formula relating these two variables known as Cauchy's Formula:

n = A + B/(lambda)^2, where A and B are constants, n is the refractive index at wavelength, lambda.
 

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