Explain the Snell Law?
Answers
Refraction of light at the interface between two media of different refractive indices, with n2 > n1. Since the velocity is lower in the second medium (v2 < v1), the angle of refraction θ2 is less than the angle of incidence θ1; that is, the ray in the higher-index medium is closer to the normal.
Snell's law (also known as Snell–Descartes law and the law of refraction) is a formula used to describe the relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction, when referring to light or other waves passing through a boundary between two different isotropic media, such as water, glass, or air.
In optics, the law is used in ray tracing to compute the angles of incidence or refraction, and in experimental optics to find the refractive index of a material. The law is also satisfied in metamaterials, which allow light to be bent "backward" at a negative angle of refraction with a negative refractive index.
Snell's law states that the ratio of the sines of the angles of incidence and refraction is equivalent to the ratio of phase velocities in the two media, or equivalent to the reciprocal of the ratio of the indices of refraction:
{\displaystyle {\frac {\sin \theta _{2}}{\sin \theta _{1}}}={\frac {v_{2}}{v_{1}}}={\frac {n_{1}}{n_{2}}}} {\displaystyle {\frac {\sin \theta _{2}}{\sin \theta _{1}}}={\frac {v_{2}}{v_{1}}}={\frac {n_{1}}{n_{2}}}}
with each {\displaystyle \theta } \theta as the angle measured from the normal of the boundary, {\displaystyle v} v as the velocity of light in the respective medium (SI units are meters per second, or m/s), {\displaystyle \lambda } \lambda as the wavelength of light in the respective medium and {\displaystyle n} n as the refractive index (which is unitless) of the respective medium.
In optics, the law is used in ray tracing to compute the angles of incidence or refraction, and in experimental optics to find the refractive index of a material. The law is also satisfied in metamaterials, which allow light to be bent "backward" at a negative angle of refraction with a negative refractive index.
Snell's law states that the ratio of the sines of the angles of incidence and refraction is equivalent to the ratio of phase velocities in the two media, or equivalent to the reciprocal of the ratio of the indices of refraction:
{\displaystyle {\frac {\sin \theta _{2}}{\sin \theta _{1}}}={\frac {v_{2}}{v_{1}}}={\frac {n_{1}}{n_{2}}}} {\displaystyle {\frac {\sin \theta _{2}}{\sin \theta _{1}}}={\frac {v_{2}}{v_{1}}}={\frac {n_{1}}{n_{2}}}}
with each {\displaystyle \theta } \theta as the angle measured from the normal of the boundary, {\displaystyle v} v as the velocity of light in the respective medium (SI units are meters per second, or m/s), {\displaystyle \lambda } \lambda as the wavelength of light in the respective medium and {\displaystyle n} n as the refractive index (which is unitless) of the respective medium.
The law follows from Fermat's principle of least time, which in turn follows from the propagation of light as waves.