Optical Properties of Materials

[Gil-H]

Homework Statement

Which of the following oxide materials when added to fused
sillica (SiO₂) will increase its index of refraction:
K₂O, Na₂O, CaO, BaO? Why?

Ionic radii of the ions:
K⁺: 0.138 nm
Na⁺: 0.102 nm
Ca²⁺: 0.100 nm
Ba²⁺: 0.136 nm
Si⁴⁺: 0.040 nm
O^2-: 0.196 nm

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

In order for the index of refraction to increase,
the added oxide particles must be larger than those of sillica.
I see that all of the cations radii
are larger than the Si cation radius.
Is that mean that all of the oxides will increase the index,
or there is another way to decide?

Homework Statement

 

[Valkarie]

Which of the following oxide materials when added to fusedsillica (SiO2) will increase its index of refraction:K2O, Na2O, CaO, BaO? Why?Ionic radii of the ions:K+: 0.138 nmNa+: 0.102 nmCa2+: 0.100 nmBa2+: 0.136 nmSi4+: 0.040 nmO2-: 0.196 nmHomework EquationsThe Attempt at a SolutionIn order for the index of refraction to increase, the added oxide particles must be larger than those of sillica. Since all of the cations radii are larger than the Si cation radius, this means that all of the oxides will increase the index of refraction.

 

[Mene]

I would like to clarify that the index of refraction is a measure of how light propagates through a material. It is related to the speed of light in a vacuum and the speed of light in the material. The higher the index of refraction, the slower the light travels through the material.

Based on the given information, it is likely that all of the oxide materials will increase the index of refraction of fused sillica. This is because all of the cation radii are larger than the Si cation radius, indicating that they will have a greater effect on the speed of light in the material. However, there are other factors that can also affect the index of refraction, such as the density and chemical composition of the material. Therefore, further experimentation or calculation would be needed to determine the exact effect of each oxide on the index of refraction.