INTRODUCTION

The knowledge of optical properties is very important in various industrial as well as in scientific
applications. In the selection of material for the purpose of contactless temperature measurement
devices, heat transfer methods, laser technology, etc., complete knowledge of optical properties of
materials is necessary for efficient operation. The term optical property describes a material's behavior
when electromagnetic radiation (light) is incident on the material's surface or, in other words, how a
material interacts under an incident electromagnetic radiation. Different types of material show
different optical properties due to differences in physical, chemical, and mechanical characteristics

KEYWORDS

Optical- relating to sight, especially in relation to the physical action of light.

electromagnetic radiation- a kind of radiation including visible light, radio waves, gamma rays, and X-
rays, in which electric and magnetic fields vary simultaneously.

visible- able to be seen.

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of-materials

DISCUSSION

Optical properties describe how the object looks, including translucence, which is how much light passes
through an object. Optical Properties of General Engineering Material:

Optical property deals with the response of a material against exposure to electromagnetic radiations,
especially to visible light. When light falls on a material, several processes such as reflection, refraction,
absorption, scattering etc.

1. Refraction: When light photons are transmitted through a material, they causes polarization of the
electrons in the material and by interacting with the polarized materials, photons lose some of their
energy. As a result of this, the speed of light is reduced and the beam of light changes direction.
2. Reflection: When a beam of photons strikes a material, some of the light is scattered at the interface
between that we media even if both are transparent. Reflectivity, R, is a measure of fraction of incident
light which is reflected at the interface.

3. Absorption:

When a light beam is striked on a material surface, portion of the incident beam that is not reflected by
the material is either absorbed or transmitted through the material. The fraction of beam that is
absorbed is related to the thickness of the materials and the manner in which the photons interact with
the material’s structure.

4. Rayleigh scattering:

Here photon interacts with the electron orbiting around an atom and is deflected without any change in
photon energy. This is more vital for high atomic number atoms and low photon energies. Ex. Blue
colour in the sunlight gets scattered more than other colors in the visible spectrum and thus making sky
look blue.

5. Transmission: The fraction of beam that is not reflected or absorbed is transmitted through the
material. Thus the fraction of light that is transmitted through a transparent material depends on the
losses incurred by absorption and reflection.

6. Thermal Emission: When a material is heated electrons are excited to higher energy levels generally in
the outer energy levels where the electrons are less strongly bound to the nucleus. These excited
electrons, upon returning back to the ground state, release photons in process termed as thermal
emission.

7. Electro-Optic Effect: The behaviour of a material in which its optical isotropic nature changes to
anisotropic nature on application of an electric field.

8. Photoelectric Effect: Phenomenon in which the ejection of electrons from a metal surface takes place,
when the metal surface is illuminated by light or any other radiation of suitable frequency (or
wavelength). Several devices such as phototube, solar cell, fire alarm etc. work on this effect (principle).

9. Photo Emissivity: Phenomenon of emission of electrons from a metal cathode, when exposed to light
or any other radiations.

13. Brightness: Power emitted by a source per unit area per unit solid angle. Photo Conductivity-
Phenomenon of increase in conductivity of a semi-conductor due to excess carriers arisen from optical
luminescence.
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materials-optical-and-thermal/34408

CONCLUSION

Optical properties modify some parameter of a light wave passing through a material or reflecting from
it.Precise and accurate measurements of the optical properties of materials are essential for the
advancement of optical technology and their applications. Such measurements include reflectance,
transmittance, emittance, absorptance, and index of refraction.