Why does light refract?

[Atlantic]

Why does light refract when changing different refractive index mediums? A quantum theory question

Just want to hear your side to it

[aommaster]

Well, from what i know, it slows down becuase of the change in density, but, you'll need to make sure. This is the diagram i was given.

 

 

 

You can also imagine a car instead of this, if one side of the car enters sand from road first, those slow down, turning the car slightly. This is what i know about it

[wolfson]

Yes

 

When a wavefront confronts an index step obliquely, one side of the front slows down before the other, thus turning the wavefront.

 

 

APP(2004)

[JaKiri]

It's to do with the optical properties of the substances, which change the speed which light propagates.

[aommaster]

one of my brilliant ms paint diagrams It gives a good idea on what is going on. I was actually going to explain it, but found it too complex, so, ol' ms paint comes to the rescue!

[cyeokpeng]

It is very simple.

 

Light as it pass through a optical tranparent material, gets absorbed by the material (exciting an electron to higher energy level) and emitted as the excited electron goes back to a lower energy state. This in effect, will seem to slow down the speed of light in the optical medium due to a series process of absorbtion and trasmission of visible light photons. The slowing of speed of light causes refraction of light.

 

This means that the optical tranparent material must have energy band gap that is sensitive to optical frequencies, so that they can absorb light photons.

[Callipygous]

thats all hogwash, its magic. *moves his hands in that shifty magician way*

 

but yeah, its because the side that hits first slows down first, turning the wave. if it goes in straight it doesnt bend at all.

[swansont]

It is very simple.

 

Light as it pass through a optical tranparent material' date=' gets absorbed by the material (exciting an electron to higher energy level) and emitted as the excited electron goes back to a lower energy state. This in effect, will seem to slow down the speed of light in the optical medium due to a series process of absorbtion and trasmission of visible light photons. The slowing of speed of light causes refraction of light.

 

This means that the optical tranparent material must have energy band gap that is sensitive to optical frequencies, so that they can absorb light photons.[/quote']

 

Those aren't real states, they are virtual ones. If the medium has real states - i.e. the band gap is in the optical - you will get absorption, and the material won't be transparent.

[Guest sri_90]

also how much the light refracts depends on the refraction index of what it is refracting through

 

srijan