25-Mar-20

Optical Properties of Solids

by
Mark Fox

Lecture 1
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Classification of optical process
1.2 Optical coefficients

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WHY???

Shiny White

Transparent

All this is because of the interaction of light

with matter in different ways.

Classification of optical
process

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General phenomenon when light moves

from one medium to another:
1st medium 2nd medium
(AIR) (GLASS)

Incident light
Propagation Transmitted (pass through
through medium light medium)

Reflected light

Different phenomena of light

Refraction
“When the light rays either bend or change their direction while
passing from one medium to another it is called refraction of
light.”

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Cause of bending
air water

 For light, refraction follows Snell’s law

which states that;

For a given pair of media, the ratio of

the sines of the angle of
incidence θ1 and angle of refraction
θ2 is equal to the ratio of velocities
(v1 / v2) in the two media.

 Since the velocity is lower in the second medium (v2 < v1),
so ,θ2 < θ1 , that’s why the light bends .

Example

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Absorption

In a material, atoms vibrate at a specific frequency which is called

the natural frequency.

If a wave of light hits a material in which the atoms are vibrating at

the same frequency as the wave of light, the electrons will absorb the
light.

Due to absorption , objects have different colors.

Visible light consists of

seven colours, each has
specific frequency and
wavelength

When visible light strikes

an object , a specific Frequency
which matches with the
frequency of atoms in material
becomes absorbed and the rest
will be reflected to our eyes
that will contribute to the color
appearance of that object.

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Examples

Luminescence
 This word Originates from latin word
luminare which means to light up or
illuminate.
 Luminescence is spontaneous emission
of light by a substance not resulting from
heat.

oWhen a material absorbed energy from a source such as ultraviolet or X-

ray radiation , electron beams, chemical reactions
, and so on.
o This energy lifts the atoms of the material
into an excited state.

oBecause excited states are unstable, atoms are

back to unexcited ground state, and the absorbed
energy is liberated in the form of light .

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Example
The firefly in the photo gives off light which is produced by a
chemical reaction by an organic compound in their abdomens.

Scattering
When a beam of light interacts with a particle of matter, it is redirected
in many different directions. This phenomenon is called scattering of
light

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Example
When the sunlight strikes with the molecules in our
atmosphere like dust particles ,water droplet, the
light is redirected in many directions . Sky is
bright because the molecules and particles
scatters the light.

Types

Elastic Inelastic
scattering scattering

If the frequency of scattered

If the frequency of scattered
light is not changed from
light is changed
the incident light .

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1.2 Optical coefficients

Definition

The different optical phenomena can be quantified by a number of

parameters which are called optical coefficient . They determine the
properties of medium, these optical coefficients are;

• Reflectivity (R)
• Transmissivity (T)
• Refractive index (n)
• Absorption coefficient (α)

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1. Coefficient of reflection or reflectivity (R)

It is parameter that describe the how much light wave is reflected by a
medium .It can be define as ratio of amplitude of incident wave to
amplitude of reflected wave
Reflected transmitted

2. Coefficient of transmission or transmissivity (R)

It is parameter that describe the how much light wave is transmitted
through a medium .It can be define as ratio of amplitude of incident wave
to amplitude of transmitted wave .
If there is only reflection and transmission of light the by conservation of
energy we can say ;
the sum of the transmitted and reflected light is equal to the incident light
and it remains constant.
R+T=1

3. Refractive index (n)

It is parameter that describes how fast light travels
through the material. It is defined as

Where c is the speed of light in vacuum and v is the

velocity of light in the medium. For example, the
refractive index of water is 1.333.

4. Absorption Coefficient (α)

This parameter describe that how much light is absorbed by

medium. It is intensity attenuation of the light passing through a
medium.

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Decrease in intensity =light absorbed in region dx X

intensity at point x

Decrease in
intensity in
thickness dx
Incident
light

intensity
Graphically

Thickness

As we know ; R+T=1
For the transmissivity;
T=1-R
But the reflection is from both front and back surfaces R1 and
R2 ;
T=(1-R1)(1-R2)
Also there is some absorption in b/w two reflections;
T=(1-R1)exp(-αx)(1-R2)…….(1)
Term exp(-αx) gives the decrease in intensity .
Now if front and back sufaces have equal reflections ;
R1=R2=R
Put in eq (1)
T=(1-R)2exp(-αx)
This is expression for
transmissivity in terms of
Reflection and absorption.

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The absorption of an optical medium can also be described in terms of

optical density (O.D) and it is defined as ;

O.D=-log10  I (l ) 
 
 I o 

The optical density is directly related to the absorption coefficient as ;

l
O.D=  0.434l
log e
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Stokes shift in luminescence

Excited state

relaxation The atoms jumps to an excited state

by absorption of a photon.

Then relaxes to an intermediate state,

absorption emission before re-emitting a photon by
spontaneous emission as it falls to
ground state.

Ground state The photon emitted has smaller

energy than absorbed photon. This
reduction in photon energy is called
Stokes shift.

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Scattering

Scattering causes attenuation of light beam. The intensity decreases

exponentially as it propagate into medium as;
I(z)=Ioexp(-Nσsz)
Where;
N=number of scattering centres per unit volume
σs=scattering cross section

Rayleigh scattering

The scattering is described as Rayleigh scattering if size of scattering

centre is very much smaller than the wavelength of light. In this case;
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    
s 4

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