Optical constants

Refractive index of Al (Aluminium)

Mathewson and Myers 1971: n,k 0.496–1.77 µm

Data: tabulated nk
Range: 0.4959–1.771 µm
Points: 37
Temperature: 298 K
Licence: CC0-1.0

Axis Log x Log y

Click the plot to set the calculator wavelength.

At one wavelength

Refractive index n: 1.20456
Extinction coefficient k: 6.89492

Permittivity ε₁: -46.0889
Permittivity ε₂: 16.6107

Absorption coefficient α: 1.47454e+06 cm⁻¹
Penetration depth δ = λ/(2πk): 13.5635 nm

Abbe number V_d: —
Chromatic dispersion dn/dλ: 5.44647 µm⁻¹

Group index n_g: -1.99578
Group velocity dispersion: — fs²/mm

Dispersion parameter D: — ps/(nm·km)
Photon energy: 2.11001 eV

ε = (n + ik)², α = 4πk/λ, n_g = n − λ dn/dλ, GVD = λ³/(2πc²) d²n/dλ², D = −(λ/c) d²n/dλ². Group-velocity dispersion is given for formula data only.

Use it in Lightsmith

Load this data in Python, simulate in one more line

pip install lightsmith

import lightsmith as ls

# Al (Aluminium): Mathewson and Myers 1971: n,k 0.496–1.77 µm
al = ls.fetch_refractiveindex("main", "Al", "Mathewson", ref="c5c2f188e848453def5970e347399d653df2ffc2")
print(al.range_nm)  # (495.94, 1771.2) nm
eps = al.eps([633])  # complex permittivity

Downloads the original record once (pinned to the imported snapshot) and caches it.

import json, urllib.request
import lightsmith as ls

url = "https://materials.lightsmith.dev/v1/datasets/ds_94cc1a67a046/lightsmith"
al = ls.Tabulated.model_validate(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(url)))
print(al.source)  # citation and provenance travel with the data

Any dataset here, as the library's Tabulated material (al/mathewson-myers-1971).

# ... load al as above, then:
sim = ls.Simulation(
    particles=[ls.Particle(shape=ls.Sphere(radius_nm=50), material=al)],
    medium_index=1.0,
    wavelengths=ls.WavelengthRange(start_nm=496, stop_nm=1000, num=81),
)
res = ls.solve(sim)  # exact Mie for a sphere
print(res.q_ext)     # extinction efficiency at each wavelength

Same spec runs with DDA, FDTD, BEM or T-matrix: ls.compare(sim, ["mie", "dda"]).

Materials guide Open a sphere of it in Studio Quick start Ask the community

Lightsmith is open source (MIT): Mie, T-matrix, BEM, DDA, FDTD, RCWA, TMM, mode solvers and inverse design behind one spec, on CPU or GPU. GitHub.

Comments and conditions

298 K (24.85 °C)

Conditions

temperature: 298 K

References

A. G. Mathewson and H. P. Myers. Absolute values of the optical constants of some pure metals. Phys. Scr. 4, 291-292 (1971)

doi:10.1088/0031-8949/4/6/009 Absolute Values of the Optical Constants of Some Pure Metals, Physica Scripta (1971)

Cite

A G Mathewson and H P Myers. Absolute Values of the Optical Constants of Some Pure Metals. Physica Scripta, 4, 291-292 (1971), doi:10.1088/0031-8949/4/6/009; Data from the refractiveindex.info database (M. N. Polyanskiy, Sci. Data 11, 94 (2024), doi:10.1038/s41597-023-02898-2)

Data

37 rows as published

CSV comma separated TXT tab separated YAML n, k Full database record original YAML All quantities CSV JSON metadata

Al (Aluminium), Mathewson and Myers 1971: n,k 0.496–1.77 µm: n and k versus wavelength
λ (µm)	n	k
0.49594	0.77909	5.84012
0.50606	0.81783	5.93033
0.5166	0.85227	6.10134
0.52759	0.89107	6.22848
0.53906	0.94408	6.35541
0.55104	1.00461	6.51991
0.56356	1.06864	6.64394
0.57667	1.14503	6.76839
0.5904	1.21981	6.92733
0.6048	1.30548	7.0855
0.61992	1.40111	7.20855
0.63582	1.50675	7.36684
0.65255	1.6281	7.49338
0.67018	1.77579	7.65855
0.6888	1.94186	7.82757
0.70848	2.13059	8.00246
0.72932	2.33676	8.15233
0.75142	2.57452	8.25398
0.7749	2.87316	8.23135
0.7999	3.03948	8.07703
0.82656	2.93996	7.75521
0.85506	2.52983	7.60921
0.8856	2.13552	7.74987
0.9184	1.81758	8.1427
0.95372	1.57683	8.68829
0.99187	1.41421	9.19239
1.0332	1.31513	9.73291
1.07812	1.24965	10.32287
1.12713	1.22635	10.88595
1.1808	1.22466	11.55421
1.23984	1.25115	12.18874
1.3051	1.29739	12.91059
1.3776	1.34628	13.70447
1.45864	1.42835	14.52722
1.5498	1.5	15.5
1.65312	1.58999	16.47811
1.7712	1.75488	17.75048

Optical transmission calculator

Free-standing sample in vacuum, normal incidence

Transmittance T: —
Reflectance R: —

Fresnel reflection calculator

R_p: —
R_s: —
R = (R_p+R_s)/2: —
Phase φ_p: —
Phase φ_s: —
Brewster angle θ_B: —
Critical angle θ_C: —

Al (Aluminium): all datasets

Experimental data

Models and simulations

About Al (Aluminium)

Aluminium (Al) is a lightweight and highly reflective metal that sees extensive use in a variety of optical applications. Known for its excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, aluminium is often utilized as a mirror coating in optical systems such as telescopes and microscopes, particularly for operations within the ultraviolet and visible spectral ranges. While it offers high reflectivity, it is also cost-effective, making it a popular choice across both consumer and industrial sectors. However, aluminium surfaces are generally more prone to oxidation than other reflective metals like gold or silver. To counteract this, aluminium coatings are frequently protected by a thin layer of dielectric material. In photonics, aluminium nanostructures are also being investigated for their plasmonic properties. It's worth noting that the optical properties of aluminium, such as its refractive index, can differ based on its physical state—whether in bulk, thin film, or nanoparticle form. Overall, aluminium remains a versatile and widely used material in the field of optics, valued for its blend of performance and affordability.

More about Al (Aluminium) →

Provenance

Version: 1 (snapshot c5c2f18)
Source page: refractiveindex.info
Original file: database/data/main/Al/nk/Mathewson.yml
ID: ds_94cc1a67a046
API: /v1/datasets/ds_94cc1a67a046

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