Losses involved in reflection and refraction

AI Thread Summary
Light reflection always involves some absorption by the reflective material, leading to losses. In refraction, losses are also present and depend significantly on the material's transparency. The purity of the material plays a crucial role in its transparency, as impurities can cause additional absorption. Therefore, even a material that is theoretically 100% transparent at a specific wavelength may still absorb some light due to impurities. Understanding these factors is essential for accurately assessing light losses in both reflection and refraction.
benmww
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when light is reflected on a surface, there is always going to be some absorbsion by the reflective material. what I'm curious to find out is whether the losses in refraction are compareable? is it just dependant on the transparency of the material?
 
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Yes, the transparency of the material will determine how much of the light is lost.Things such as purity of the material can affect how transparent it is, so while something might be 100% transparent to a certain wavelength, if there are impurities some of it will still be absorbed.
 
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