Optical constants

Refractive index of Ni (Nickel)

Johnson and Christy 1974: n,k 0.188–1.937 µm

Data: tabulated nk
Range: 0.188–1.937 µm
Points: 49
Licence: CC0-1.0

Axis Log x Log y

Click the plot to set the calculator wavelength.

At one wavelength

Refractive index n: 1.9648
Extinction coefficient k: 3.8352

Permittivity ε₁: -10.8483
Permittivity ε₂: 15.0708

Absorption coefficient α: 820193 cm⁻¹
Penetration depth δ = λ/(2πk): 24.3845 nm

Abbe number V_d: —
Chromatic dispersion dn/dλ: 0.857143 µm⁻¹

Group index n_g: 1.46114
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

# Ni (Nickel): Johnson and Christy 1974: n,k 0.188–1.937 µm
ni = ls.fetch_refractiveindex("main", "Ni", "Johnson", ref="c5c2f188e848453def5970e347399d653df2ffc2")
print(ni.range_nm)  # (188, 1937) nm
eps = ni.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_641ae532cadd/lightsmith"
ni = ls.Tabulated.model_validate(json.load(urllib.request.urlopen(url)))
print(ni.source)  # citation and provenance travel with the data

Any dataset here, as the library's Tabulated material (ni/johnson-christy-1974).

# ... load ni as above, then:
sim = ls.Simulation(
    particles=[ls.Particle(shape=ls.Sphere(radius_nm=50), material=ni)],
    medium_index=1.0,
    wavelengths=ls.WavelengthRange(start_nm=400, 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

Room temperature

References

P. B. Johnson and R. W. Christy. Optical constants of transition metals: Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Pd. Phys. Rev. B 9, 5056-5070 (1974)

doi:10.1103/physrevb.9.5056 Optical constants of transition metals: Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Pd, Physical Review B (1974)

Cite

P. Johnson and R. Christy. Optical constants of transition metals: Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Pd. Physical Review B, 9, 5056-5070 (1974), doi:10.1103/physrevb.9.5056; Data from the refractiveindex.info database (M. N. Polyanskiy, Sci. Data 11, 94 (2024), doi:10.1038/s41597-023-02898-2)

Data

49 rows as published

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

Ni (Nickel), Johnson and Christy 1974: n,k 0.188–1.937 µm: n and k versus wavelength
λ (µm)	n	k
0.188	1.26	1.6
0.192	1.29	1.64
0.195	1.29	1.69
0.199	1.28	1.75
0.203	1.28	1.82
0.207	1.29	1.89
0.212	1.32	1.96
0.216	1.34	2.02
0.221	1.38	2.09
0.226	1.43	2.15
0.231	1.49	2.2
0.237	1.57	2.25
0.243	1.65	2.29
0.249	1.73	2.31
0.255	1.82	2.32
0.262	1.89	2.3
0.269	1.96	2.29
0.276	2.01	2.26
0.284	2.03	2.23
0.292	2.03	2.2
0.301	2.02	2.18
0.311	2.01	2.18
0.32	1.93	2.19
0.332	1.84	2.22
0.342	1.78	2.26
0.354	1.74	2.32
0.368	1.7	2.4
0.381	1.72	2.48
0.397	1.72	2.57
0.413	1.7	2.69
0.431	1.71	2.82
0.451	1.73	2.95
0.471	1.78	3.09
0.496	1.82	3.25
0.521	1.85	3.42
0.549	1.92	3.61
0.582	1.96	3.8
0.617	1.99	4.02
0.659	1.99	4.26
0.704	2.06	4.5
0.756	2.13	4.73
0.821	2.26	4.97
0.892	2.4	5.23
0.984	2.48	5.55
1.088	2.65	5.93
1.216	2.79	6.43
1.393	2.96	7.08
1.61	3.14	7.96
1.937	3.47	9.09

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: —

Ni (Nickel): all datasets

Experimental data

Models and simulations

About Ni (Nickel)

Nickel (Ni) is a silvery-white, lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. It belongs to the transition metals and is hard, ductile, and ferromagnetic. In optics, nickel is commonly used as a coating material. Nickel coatings can be applied to various substrates to provide protection, reduce reflectance, or to promote adhesion for subsequent coatings. Moreover, electroplated nickel can serve as a mold surface for the precision replication of optical components. Beyond its optical applications, nickel is extensively used in many other industries, primarily in the production of stainless steel and other nickel alloys. It is also a key component in rechargeable battery systems, like those found in electric vehicles and portable electronics. Nickel's natural resistance to corrosion and its alloying properties make it a valuable metal in various engineering applications.

More about Ni (Nickel) →

Provenance

Version: 1 (snapshot c5c2f18)
Source page: refractiveindex.info
Original file: database/data/main/Ni/nk/Johnson.yml
ID: ds_641ae532cadd
API: /v1/datasets/ds_641ae532cadd

Plot