IEVref: 705-03-20 ID: Language: en Status: Standard Term: complex refractive index (in a given direction) Synonym1: Synonym2: Synonym3: Symbol: Definition: a dimensionless complex scalar quantity n, characteristic of a medium at a given point and in a given direction, when there can exist in the medium a sinusoidal electromagnetic wave whose wave vector $\stackrel{\to }{\underset{_}{K}}$ has colinear real and imaginary parts $\stackrel{\to }{{K}^{\prime }}$ and $\stackrel{\to }{{K}^{″}}$, in the given direction; this quantity is defined by the equation: $\stackrel{\to }{\underset{_}{K}}=\stackrel{\to }{{K}^{\prime }}+\mathrm{j}\stackrel{\to }{{K}^{″}}=\underset{_}{n}\frac{\omega }{{c}_{0}}\stackrel{\to }{u}$ where ω is the angular frequency, c0 is the velocity of propagation of electromagnetic waves in vacuum and $\stackrel{\to }{u}$ is the unit vector in the given direction NOTE 1 – For an isotropic medium, the complex refractive index is the square root of the product of the relative complex permittivity and the relative complex permeability. NOTE 2 – For each direction in an anisotropic medium, there are generally two distinct wave vectors and two values of the complex refractive index. Publication date: 1995-09 Source: Replaces: Internal notes: 2017-06-02: Cleanup - Remove Attached Image 705-03-201.gif 2017-06-02: Cleanup - Remove Attached Image 705-03-203.gif 2017-06-02: Cleanup - Remove Attached Image 705-03-202.gif 2017-06-02: Cleanup - Remove Attached Image 705-03-204.gif 2017-06-02: Cleanup - Remove Attached Image 705-03-205.gif CO remarks: TC/SC remarks: VT remarks: Domain1: Domain2: Domain3: Domain4: Domain5: