Refractive Index Measurements of Molten Salts with Wave-front-shearing Interferometry

Abstract

A wave-front-shearing interferometer has been used for refractive index measurements on liquids. A test series on water gave agreement within ±5 · 10 ^-5 with earlier data. The refractive index of molten potassium nitrate has been measured between 340 and 460°C and found to depend linearly on temperature according to the equation n=1.46478-1.579 · 10^-4 · t at a wavelength of 6330 Å.