Calculation of Absorption Peaks in Thin Metal Films

Abstract

THE refractive index of an absorbing medium can be written as N= n − ik, where n and k refer to the real and imaginary components of the complex quantity N. In this notation the value of n retains the velocity relationship of a simple non-absorbing medium, and k is the extinction coefficient. Another form of the equation has, however, found common usage, particularly with early workers in the field of metal optics ; in this form the refractive index N′ is defined by N′ = n′(l − ik′). It can be seen that N is related to N′ by the equations n = n′ and k= n′k′.