1.3.4 Refraction
Refraction goes “hand in hand” with dispersion. Dispersion of radiation in prisms is the result of refraction. The amount of refraction is described by Snell’s law
where θ is the angle of refraction relative to the normal plane, η is the refractive index, and subscripts 1 and 2 are the two media. The effect of refraction on light moving through two materials is illustrated in Figure 1-11.
Figure 1-11. Illustration of the refraction of light passing through two media, one is less optically dense (the green-shaded region) and one more optically dense (the red-shaded region).
As mentioned in the previous sections (specifically Section 1.3.6), refraction is the basis of the separation (dispersion) of light in prisms while diffraction is responsible for dispersion in grating monochromators.
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