Optical constants

Refractive index of Au (Gold)

Rakić et al. 1998: Lorentz-Drude model; n,k 0.248–6.20 µm

Data
tabulated nk
Range
0.248–6.199 µm
Points
200
Licence
CC0-1.0
Lightsmith
bundled

Plot

Click the plot to set the calculator wavelength.

At one wavelength

Range 0.248–6.199 µm
Refractive index n
0.38735
Extinction coefficient k
2.73349
Permittivity ε1
-7.32191
Permittivity ε2
2.11763
Absorption coefficient α
584581 cm⁻¹
Penetration depth δ = λ/(2πk)
34.2125 nm
Abbe number Vd
—
Chromatic dispersion dn/dλ
-2.16264 µm⁻¹
Group index ng
1.65812
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

# Au (Gold): Rakić et al. 1998: Lorentz-Drude model; n,k 0.248–6.20 µm
au = ls.LibraryMaterial(name="Au", dataset="Rakic-LD")
print(au.range_nm)  # (247.97, 6199.2) nm
eps = au.eps([633])  # complex permittivity

Ships with the library: works offline.

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

Fit of experimental data from several sources to Lorentz-Drude (LD) model

References

A. D. Rakić, A. B. Djurišic, J. M. Elazar, M. L. Majewski. Optical properties of metallic films for vertical-cavity optoelectronic devices. Appl. Opt. 37, 5271-5283 (1998)
[Calculation script (Python)]
  • doi:10.1364/ao.37.005271 Optical properties of metallic films for vertical-cavity optoelectronic devices, Applied Optics (1998)

Cite

Aleksandar D. Rakić, Aleksandra B. Djurišić, Jovan M. Elazar and Marian L. Majewski. Optical properties of metallic films for vertical-cavity optoelectronic devices. Applied Optics, 37, 5271 (1998), doi:10.1364/ao.37.005271; [Calculation script (Python)]; Data from the refractiveindex.info database (M. N. Polyanskiy, Sci. Data 11, 94 (2024), doi:10.1038/s41597-023-02898-2)

Data

200 rows as published
Au (Gold), Rakić et al. 1998: Lorentz-Drude model; n,k 0.248–6.20 µm: n and k versus wavelength
λ (µm)nk
0.247971.09411.5478
0.252011.13211.5836
0.256121.17181.6151
0.26031.21271.6421
0.264541.25431.6643
0.268861.29581.6816
0.273241.33661.6938
0.27771.37591.7011
0.282221.4131.7037
0.286831.4471.7019
0.29151.47741.6962
0.296261.50341.6872
0.301091.52471.6757
0.3061.54071.6624
0.310991.55141.6483
0.316061.55671.6342
0.321211.55671.6211
0.326451.55171.6098
0.331771.54221.6012
0.337181.52881.596
0.342681.51231.5949
0.348271.49371.5983
0.353951.47411.6065
0.359721.45491.6193
0.365591.43731.6365
0.371551.42261.6571
0.377611.4121.6797
0.383771.4061.7025
0.390021.40471.7232
0.396381.40711.7394
0.402851.41121.749
0.409421.41411.7506
0.416091.41221.7441
0.422881.4021.7311
0.429771.38081.7143
0.436781.34721.6973
0.44391.30111.684
0.451141.24391.6777
0.45851.17771.6812
0.465981.10541.6962
0.473581.02991.7233
0.48130.953961.7625
0.489150.880091.8129
0.497120.810151.873
0.505230.745351.941
0.513470.686312.0154
0.521840.633162.0945
0.530350.585682.177
0.5390.543482.262
0.547790.506062.3486
0.556720.47292.4364
0.56580.443512.5249
0.575030.417432.614
0.58440.394272.7034
0.593930.373662.793
0.603620.35532.8828
0.613460.338932.9728
0.623460.324323.063
0.633630.311273.1534
0.643960.299623.2441
0.654460.289223.335
0.665140.279953.4263
0.675980.27173.518
0.687010.264383.6102
0.698210.257913.7028
0.709590.252223.796
0.721170.247253.8898
0.732920.242953.9843
0.744880.239274.0794
0.757020.236184.1753
0.769370.233644.272
0.781910.231624.3695
0.794660.23014.4679
0.807620.229064.5673
0.820790.228484.6676
0.834180.228344.7689
0.847780.228634.8713
0.86160.229354.9748
0.875650.230495.0795
0.889930.232045.1853
0.904450.234015.2923
0.919190.236395.4006
0.934180.239195.5102
0.949420.242415.6211
0.96490.246065.7334
0.980630.250155.8471
0.996620.254695.9622
1.01290.25976.0788
1.02940.26526.1969
1.04620.271216.3165
1.06320.277766.4377
1.08060.284866.5604
1.09820.292556.6848
1.11610.300866.8107
1.13430.309836.9383
1.15280.319497.0674
1.17160.329877.1981
1.19070.341027.3304
1.21010.352957.4642
1.22990.365697.5995
1.24990.379247.7361
1.27030.393597.8741
1.2910.408698.0132
1.31210.424468.1534
1.33350.440768.2946
1.35520.457418.4367
1.37730.474198.5797
1.39980.490798.7235
1.42260.506928.8683
1.44580.522269.0142
1.46940.536559.1616
1.49330.54969.3109
1.51770.561359.4625
1.54240.571859.6168
1.56760.581299.7744
1.59310.589939.9355
1.61910.5981310.1
1.64550.6062210.269
1.67230.6145510.442
1.69960.623410.619
1.72730.6330410.799
1.75550.6436610.984
1.78410.6554111.172
1.81320.6683911.363
1.84280.682711.558
1.87280.6983911.757
1.90340.715511.959
1.93440.7340812.164
1.9660.7541412.372
1.9980.7757312.584
2.03060.7988612.798
2.06370.8235613.016
2.09740.8498713.237
2.13160.8778113.46
2.16630.9074213.687
2.20160.9387213.917
2.23750.9717414.149
2.2741.006514.384
2.31111.04314.622
2.34881.081214.863
2.38711.121115.106
2.4261.162615.351
2.46561.205615.598
2.50581.250115.848
2.54671.295816.099
2.58821.342516.353
2.63041.389916.608
2.67331.437816.864
2.71691.485717.123
2.76121.533317.384
2.80621.580217.646
2.8521.626117.911
2.89851.670518.179
2.94571.713318.45
2.99381.754218.725
3.04261.793219.004
3.09221.830419.288
3.14261.865819.578
3.19391.899919.874
3.2461.932820.176
3.29891.96520.486
3.35271.99720.802
3.40742.029221.126
3.46292.06221.457
3.51942.095821.796
3.57682.13122.142
3.63512.16822.496
3.69442.206922.857
3.75462.24823.226
3.81592.291523.601
3.87812.337623.984
3.94132.386424.374
4.00562.43824.77
4.07092.492525.174
4.13732.549925.584
4.20482.610326.001
4.27332.673826.425
4.3432.740426.856
4.41382.810127.293
4.48582.88327.737
4.55892.959228.188
4.63333.038628.646
4.70883.121429.111
4.78563.207529.582
4.86373.29730.061
4.9433.3930.546
5.02363.486631.039
5.10553.586731.539
5.18883.690532.046
5.27343.798132.56
5.35943.909433.081
5.44684.024733.61
5.53564.143934.147
5.62584.267234.691
5.71764.394635.242
5.81084.526235.802
5.90564.662336.369
6.00194.802736.944
6.09974.947737.527
6.19925.097438.118

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
—