ERIC Number: EJ860672
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Nov
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0143-0807
EISSN: N/A
Accurate Measurements of Refractive Indices for Dielectrics in an Undergraduate Optics Laboratory for Science and Engineering Students
Hsu, Wei-Tai; Bahrim, Cristian
European Journal of Physics, v30 n6 p1325-1336 Nov 2009
Based on our novel method recently published in the "Am. J. Phys." 77 337-43 (2009) for finding precise values of the indices of refraction for dielectrics from measurements of the polarized light reflected by the surface, in this paper we propose an improved technique for finding Brewster angles with a better precision, of 0.001 degrees, using the same relative inexpensive optical equipment provided by the PASCO Scientific company and a simpler setup. The goal is to implement our procedure in a 3 h optics laboratory for undergraduate students using two different laser-dielectric systems. As compared to our previous work, now we eliminate the random fluctuations of the experimental time-dependent reflectance by controlling the irradiation time on the dielectric surface (and thus avoiding the overheating of the surface) and by using lasers which are stable during the data acquisition process. Also, in the present experiment, we use a computer-based filtering procedure of the experimental reflectance during the data acquisition process for increasing the precision of the measurements at any angle of incidence. (Contains 3 tables and 6 figures.)
Descriptors: Optics, Lasers, Light, Measurement Techniques, Science Laboratories, Science Experiments, Science Instruction, College Science, Undergraduate Students
Institute of Physics Publishing. The Public Ledger Building Suite 929, 150 South Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 215-627-0880; Fax: 215-627-0879; e-mail: info@ioppubusa.com; Web site: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/EJP
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A