General formula for refractive index of moist air?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the search for a formula to calculate the refractive index of moist air, specifically considering temperature and pressure dependencies. While Wolfram Alpha can provide values for moist air, the participants emphasize that clouds consist of air with suspended water droplets, which significantly affects photon trajectories due to scattering. The refractive index changes with humidity are minimal, indicating that for practical applications, the scattering effect is more critical than the refractive index of moist air itself.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of refractive index and its significance in optics.
  • Familiarity with the concepts of temperature and pressure in relation to gas behavior.
  • Knowledge of photon behavior in media with varying densities.
  • Basic principles of light scattering in atmospheric conditions.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the scattering of light in aerosols and droplets.
  • Explore the use of Wolfram Alpha for optical properties of moist air.
  • Investigate the impact of humidity on the refractive index in various atmospheric conditions.
  • Study the principles of photon trajectory modeling in heterogeneous media.
USEFUL FOR

Optical physicists, atmospheric scientists, and engineers involved in meteorology or optical communication systems will benefit from this discussion.

mikeph
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Not sure if one exists but can anyone point me in the right direction?

Looking for a formula which includes the temperature and partial/total pressure dependencies? I'm trying to find the trajectory of a photon through a cloud of varying (but known) temperature, pressure and humidity.

If there is no formula are there tables?

My search has so far found very little. Looking at infra-red/visible frequencies.

Thanks.
 
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Wolfram Alpha provides the values for moist air so there is some formula I suppose.
Just Google "index refraction moist air".
However, I am afraid you may be looking for data that is not relevant for your problem.
A cloud is not moist air but air with small droplets of water in suspension. The photon will suffer scattering on the dropplets and this may be the main mechanism to determine the trajectory.
If you are really interested in moist air, the changes of index with humidity are quite negligible.
 

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