Liquid refractometry by the rainbow method
- 1 July 1998
- journal article
- Published by Optica Publishing Group in Applied Optics
- Vol. 37 (19), 4123-4129
- https://doi.org/10.1364/ao.37.004123
Abstract
A new method for measuring the refractive index of liquid, proposed in a previous paper [Appl. Opt. 36, 5552–5556 (1997)], has been developed. The minimum deviation of a laser beam deflected by a liquid-filled cylindrical cell was calculated by use of geometric optics. These theoretical results were compared with experimental results, with excellent agreement. As a result, the unknown refractive index of a liquid could be obtained by use of a computer calculation to give a best fit. The computer calculation showed that the sensitivity of the refractometer increases with the cell-wall thickness until total reflection takes place. A small refractive-index difference can be detected within a precision of 1 × 10-6 by use of a metal-oxide semiconductor linear image sensor. We show how to calibrate the refractometer with pure water at 3.98 °C.Keywords
This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- Using minimum deviation of a secondary rainbow and its application to water analysis in a high-precision, refractive-index comparator for liquidsApplied Optics, 1997
- Rainbows and fogbowsApplied Optics, 1991
- Tolerated Range of the Refracting Angle of a Glass Sample Whose Index n is Measured on a RefractometerApplied Optics, 1971
- Methods in High Precision Refractometry of Optical GlassesApplied Optics, 1968
- Differential Refractometer for Process ControlAnalytical Chemistry, 1952
- A Differential Refractometer*Journal of the Optical Society of America, 1951
- A precision apparatus for the rapid determination of indices of refraction and dispersion by immersionJournal of Research of the National Bureau of Standards, 1944
- A new precision refractometerJournal of Scientific Instruments, 1941