Optical constants

Refractive index of Al (Aluminium)

McPeak et al. 2015: n,k 0.15–1.7 µm

Data
tabulated nk
Range
0.15–1.7 µm
Points
297
Licence
CC0-1.0
Lightsmith
bundled, default

Plot

Click the plot to set the calculator wavelength.

At one wavelength

Range 0.15–1.7 µm
Refractive index n
0.939045
Extinction coefficient k
6.24255
Permittivity ε1
-38.0876
Permittivity ε2
11.7241
Absorption coefficient α
1.33503e+06 cm⁻¹
Penetration depth δ = λ/(2πk)
14.981 nm
Abbe number Vd
—
Chromatic dispersion dn/dλ
4.1294 µm⁻¹
Group index ng
-1.48739
Group velocity dispersion
— fs²/mm
Dispersion parameter D
— ps/(nm·km)
Photon energy
2.11001 eV

ε = (n + ik)², α = 4πk/λ, ng = 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): McPeak et al. 2015: n,k 0.15–1.7 µm
al = ls.LibraryMaterial(name="Al", dataset="McPeak")
print(al.range_nm)  # (150, 1700) nm
eps = al.eps([633])  # complex permittivity

Ships with the library: works offline and is the library's own default dataset choice.

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

Thermally evaporated Al at 150 Å/s, template stripped from Si wafer

References

K. M. McPeak, S. V. Jayanti, S. J. P. Kress, S. Meyer, S. Iotti, A. Rossinelli, D. J. Norris. Plasmonic films can easily be better: Rules and recipes. ACS Photonics 2, 326-333 (2015)

Cite

Kevin M. McPeak et al.. Plasmonic Films Can Easily Be Better: Rules and Recipes. ACS Photonics, 2, 326-333 (2015), doi:10.1021/ph5004237; Data from the refractiveindex.info database (M. N. Polyanskiy, Sci. Data 11, 94 (2024), doi:10.1038/s41597-023-02898-2)

Data

297 rows as published
Al (Aluminium), McPeak et al. 2015: n,k 0.15–1.7 µm: n and k versus wavelength
λ (µm)nk
0.150.0953908281.283666394
0.1550.0955103861.337393822
0.160.099039251.402928641
0.1650.0986928381.46616516
0.170.1008502071.532569987
0.1750.10695631.596539899
0.180.0997157461.657661977
0.1850.1083161121.734368006
0.190.1065677691.79116071
0.1950.1115132661.853411775
0.20.1108033741.908606137
0.2050.1115873261.969936987
0.210.113655552.028057589
0.2150.1159284452.091850713
0.220.1161734242.151998203
0.2250.1197719062.213039835
0.230.1243155432.274896559
0.2350.1292765192.336773934
0.240.1330027432.395514502
0.2450.1396885882.457358928
0.250.1411626552.515219055
0.2550.1487657662.573777623
0.260.1507226382.633214255
0.2650.1614650562.693431077
0.270.1646105872.750035753
0.2750.1723658262.81099804
0.280.1786353032.868973784
0.2850.185870182.923276881
0.290.1889533142.98248275
0.2950.1973152183.042340102
0.30.2049916383.100858199
0.3050.2100972663.157347124
0.310.2188167183.214790935
0.3150.2244547993.267473023
0.320.2376664543.323775766
0.3250.244649283.37932734
0.330.2518928323.436779015
0.3350.2593918243.493749292
0.340.2674818523.550147397
0.3450.2752012523.607178361
0.350.283497923.663518946
0.3550.2917741193.719829584
0.360.3001256673.776251503
0.3650.3085780123.831608068
0.370.3175975383.889198914
0.3750.326926373.945995546
0.380.3359560024.002607455
0.3850.3457142034.058265431
0.390.3549016764.114238107
0.3950.3649683644.169676475
0.40.3751508424.226433266
0.4050.3852115894.281283449
0.410.3960864484.336805792
0.4150.407065114.391435073
0.420.4176478494.447407079
0.4250.4295437354.503499508
0.430.4409962264.559109307
0.4350.4528378794.613682059
0.440.4642327524.669101846
0.4450.4770700264.724044433
0.450.4892201224.778319404
0.4550.5012282314.832828338
0.460.5148172484.887948117
0.4650.5280421254.943260916
0.470.539876574.997345967
0.4750.5549328865.051331558
0.480.5680050385.105940631
0.4850.5827714195.159226931
0.490.5967053665.212874187
0.4950.6107843735.265933683
0.50.6256862955.320477736
0.5050.6403064645.374848125
0.510.6557098395.428163169
0.5150.6725657535.481545831
0.520.6883364165.535955836
0.5250.7040451085.58799423
0.530.7207935845.641767754
0.5350.7376039485.693773756
0.540.754468395.746496546
0.5450.7723303665.799008035
0.550.7894053535.851936501
0.5550.8083516985.905288517
0.560.8292050975.958236408
0.5650.8486308536.009090973
0.570.8673768536.060226283
0.5750.8876619886.112687118
0.580.9085697396.165184423
0.5850.9283085336.215605902
0.590.9489555186.267417058
0.5950.97148966.317103137
0.60.9924656126.368986418
0.6051.0160733176.417351867
0.611.0381456676.46681888
0.6151.0620599066.517052343
0.621.0881600636.566589093
0.6251.1126635726.61475776
0.631.1363285746.66312559
0.6351.1657316376.710806975
0.641.1902652036.759417967
0.6451.2185052456.807110623
0.651.2463644056.852329839
0.6551.2753027616.898361917
0.661.3043828186.942363757
0.6651.3338544576.987643931
0.671.3654103917.031951759
0.6751.3958923037.071104251
0.681.4260244827.116287362
0.6851.4573912347.157652493
0.691.4932306837.197481356
0.6951.52749357.23603734
0.71.5597517297.27391404
0.7051.5963464027.311383032
0.711.6316215257.34575992
0.7151.6696989767.380372258
0.721.7067808937.414249862
0.7251.7452603867.446739811
0.731.7863988447.475374294
0.7351.8277722247.502849546
0.741.8721891537.528352557
0.7451.9168024277.55216072
0.751.9583554547.571403838
0.7552.0053496017.585211073
0.762.0542241157.599462923
0.7652.099844517.605086914
0.772.1445288347.61216158
0.7752.1899156687.610567038
0.782.2315000367.603853787
0.7852.2754799457.589387919
0.792.3146436467.572223927
0.7952.3502580447.547894599
0.82.3736532987.522581337
0.8052.3994389677.486541749
0.812.4092965987.449477169
0.8152.4143959737.410756231
0.822.4100493267.369351244
0.8252.3994620947.325600203
0.832.3752774997.288411569
0.8352.3421023577.253098886
0.842.3017745317.225729444
0.8452.2576561137.204374444
0.852.2048985537.188085811
0.8552.1481114017.177700369
0.862.0927187837.181328004
0.8652.031277157.184642431
0.871.9735689627.198887028
0.8751.9154923867.218248477
0.881.8549960837.243411521
0.8851.8025647277.274079983
0.891.7501204497.309782595
0.8951.6946717277.350096072
0.91.647156087.393045594
0.9051.6023995257.439468008
0.911.5571881727.48978204
0.9151.5168378587.542665118
0.921.4835454947.592621895
0.9251.4472305117.647710517
0.931.4152137877.70342976
0.9351.3854332867.756057335
0.941.3555899117.812465936
0.9451.3258849547.872100794
0.951.3021644637.928721983
0.9551.2802887957.985307721
0.961.259767138.04593147
0.9651.238218228.1051949
0.971.2181886218.163760378
0.9751.2010674078.22268587
0.981.1822944658.279240316
0.9851.1676315158.338247019
0.991.1536962348.399524689
0.9951.1409052358.457757667
1.01.1266390878.511598888
1.0051.1146807768.571960874
1.011.1029649418.629920722
1.0151.093580838.687515124
1.021.087279748.74843856
1.0251.0814455538.809967337
1.031.0713974888.867857271
1.0351.0615373368.920081923
1.041.0554945978.978255334
1.0451.0518068769.036830069
1.051.0434549269.083765639
1.0551.0364824419.148731926
1.061.0331332049.204040646
1.0651.027477939.264432573
1.071.0255919069.318521275
1.0751.0244184459.373122913
1.081.0202446079.42862127
1.0851.0153041569.479917855
1.091.0143785179.5368739
1.0951.0118903049.593431189
1.11.0099050059.649917519
1.1051.0084515399.704482186
1.111.0053448559.750882949
1.1151.003824059.806001363
1.121.0042948089.860152537
1.1251.0038821649.917498646
1.131.0039727429.968398129
1.1351.0050057310.02382345
1.141.00282858610.07500199
1.1451.00394117910.12708734
1.151.00531728210.18335224
1.1551.00375438410.23706613
1.161.00881875710.28628773
1.1651.00793248910.34146643
1.171.00835725710.39215013
1.1751.01268833410.44200832
1.181.01521318310.49336256
1.1851.01475918110.5517646
1.191.01768380310.60545522
1.1951.0181390510.65817091
1.21.02173680710.70579031
1.2051.02285929310.75807795
1.211.02425778710.80782605
1.2151.02645083810.85926339
1.221.02973872210.9110202
1.2251.03504784810.96181208
1.231.03866758111.01266681
1.2351.03997889511.06849385
1.241.04338960611.11569439
1.2451.04665709211.16984741
1.251.04991339111.21616325
1.2551.05129754711.26655345
1.261.05649505711.31619114
1.2651.05718840411.36079431
1.271.06149270211.41081797
1.2751.06638357411.47288865
1.281.07050090111.51937378
1.2851.07308069611.56250415
1.291.07809105311.61775711
1.2951.08126328511.66829595
1.31.0866765611.71967858
1.3051.09090575211.7737027
1.311.09422771611.82020872
1.3151.09710696611.86438552
1.321.10442709211.91930196
1.3251.10813811411.96737106
1.331.10928217812.01542787
1.3351.11249280812.06389822
1.341.12398702212.1162431
1.3451.12923397312.16532652
1.351.13298186712.21775953
1.3551.13556613312.26700903
1.431.2089763312.99198306
1.4351.21577428413.0402495
1.441.22235934713.08984959
1.4451.22563747713.13438949
1.451.23234841213.19350911
1.4551.23505304813.23424936
1.461.2398932413.2825952
1.4651.24567413613.32973008
1.471.2559018413.37524914
1.4751.25242171313.42119816
1.481.26515364413.46516297
1.4851.26479293213.51960433
1.491.27502369213.56523813
1.4951.27769367313.61515704
1.51.28569917313.66027168
1.5051.29014969713.70964938
1.511.29680994813.75760575
1.5151.30405996213.81378197
1.521.31392467613.8577198
1.5251.3162788913.90548777
1.531.32528961413.94978109
1.5351.33256536613.9955611
1.541.33810368514.0463704
1.5451.34231739214.08906725
1.551.34739940114.13278052
1.5551.35428791814.18605286
1.561.3616265714.2300396
1.5651.36795382914.27204602
1.571.37488169914.33214219
1.5751.37494942714.37325593
1.581.38566200614.41873986
1.5851.39042596714.47146449
1.591.40017068914.51965833
1.5951.3978613614.56653756
1.61.40098469414.60865354
1.6051.40292809714.65292487
1.611.42141467514.70647543
1.6151.42474248414.75635087
1.621.43600276314.82100212
1.6251.43935857414.84862799
1.631.4460907514.8956765
1.6351.44790424714.94712102
1.641.4564387614.99170484
1.6451.45887313515.02392461
1.651.46991749315.08179888
1.6551.47817782815.1223348
1.661.47497780815.17582154
1.6651.47784305315.23233469
1.671.46229274215.2773787
1.6751.42577848315.34740513
1.681.42733508715.38951869
1.6851.45490841315.4724516
1.691.51417604715.49621661
1.6951.55566844915.53351552
1.71.58401851115.55632073

Optical transmission calculator

Free-standing sample in vacuum, normal incidence
Method
Transmittance T
—
Reflectance R
—

Fresnel reflection calculator

Direction
Rp
—
Rs
—
R = (Rp+Rs)/2
—
Phase φp
—
Phase φs
—
Brewster angle θB
—
Critical angle θC
—