Re: Is Refractive Index of Liquid Frequency Dependent?

Pingrong,

You are absolutely right. The index of refraction of any substance is wavelength dependent. This is because the molecular structure of every substance is unique, and so is the way in which that structure interacts with photons of differing wavelengths. This website from The Physics Classroom describes how photons of different wavelengths/energy interact differently with substances in more detail.

I also found an online reference to an experiment where index of refraction as a function of wavelength was measured, which you might be interested in. If you want to know how light refracts through liquid Tetrachloraethene, specifically, you will probably need to make a trip to your local library to search for scientific journal articles on the subject.

Hope this helps,
Amber