Refractive Index: Why is it Same in Vacuum for All Lightwaves?

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The refractive index of vacuum is universally 1, meaning all light waves travel at the same speed of 3 x 10^8 m/s. In contrast, when light enters a material like water, different wavelengths, such as red and blue, experience varying refractive indices, causing them to travel at different speeds. This variation occurs because light interacts with the atoms of the material, and different wavelengths interact differently. In vacuum, there are no atoms to cause this interaction, resulting in a uniform refractive index for all light waves. Thus, the refractive index in vacuum remains constant across all wavelengths.
Hepic
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refractive index of vacuum is 1 so from this law: n=c/u,we see that u of any light will be equal with c=3*10^8.


When two lights(Red(r),Blue(b)) run into the water,red will run faster because refractive index for this lightwave is less than refractive index of blue. So we see that refractive index except of material,has to about lightwave too.

My question is: Why in all materials,refractive index is different for each lightwave,but in vacuum refractive index is the same for all ligthwaves(so red and blue run with same speed at vacuum)??


Thanks!
 
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Hepic said:
My question is: Why in all materials,refractive index is different for each lightwave,but in vacuum refractive index is the same for all ligthwaves(so red and blue run with same speed at vacuum)??

The refractive effects are produced by the light interacting with the atoms of the material; different wavelengths interact with the same atom in different ways. In vacuum that doesn't happen because there aren't any atoms to interact with.
 
Yea. Thanks !
 

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