Optical constants

Refractive index of K (Potassium)

Monin and Boutry 1974: n,k 0.254–0.620 µm; 195 K

Data
tabulated nk
Range
0.2536–0.62 µm
Points
13
Temperature
195 K
Licence
CC0-1.0

Plot

Click the plot to set the calculator wavelength.

At one wavelength

Range 0.2536–0.62 µm
Refractive index n
0.0284
Extinction coefficient k
1.63657
Permittivity ε1
-2.67756
Permittivity ε2
0.0929573
Absorption coefficient α
349996 cm⁻¹
Penetration depth δ = λ/(2πk)
57.1435 nm
Abbe number Vd
—
Chromatic dispersion dn/dλ
-0.166667 µm⁻¹
Group index ng
0.126333
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

# K (Potassium): Monin and Boutry 1974: n,k 0.254–0.620 µm; 195 K
k = ls.fetch_refractiveindex("main", "K", "Monin", ref="c5c2f188e848453def5970e347399d653df2ffc2")
print(k.range_nm)  # (253.6, 620) nm
eps = k.eps([397])  # complex permittivity

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

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

195 K (-78.15 °C)

Conditions

temperature
195 K

References

J. Monin and G.-A. Boutry. Optical and photoelectric properties of alkali metals. Phys. Rev. B 9, 1309-1327 (1974)

Cite

J. Monin and G. -A. Boutry. Optical and photoelectric properties of alkali metals. Physical Review B, 9, 1309-1327 (1974), doi:10.1103/physrevb.9.1309; Data from the refractiveindex.info database (M. N. Polyanskiy, Sci. Data 11, 94 (2024), doi:10.1038/s41597-023-02898-2)

Data

13 rows as published
K (Potassium), Monin and Boutry 1974: n,k 0.254–0.620 µm; 195 K: n and k versus wavelength
λ (µm)nk
0.25360.6940.048
0.26540.6450.05
0.28040.5680.055
0.3130.330.089
0.3340.1120.258
0.3660.0560.554
0.4060.050.807
0.43580.0490.97
0.460.0491.087
0.49160.0441.232
0.5460.0351.466
0.5780.031.6
0.620.0231.76

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
—