Optical constants of ice from the ultraviolet to the microwave

Abstract

A compilation of the optical constants of ice Ih is made for temperatures within 60 K of the melting point. The imaginary part mim of the complex index of refraction m is obtained from measurements of spectral absorption coefficient; the real part mre is computed to be consistent with mim by use of known dispersion relations. The compilation of mim requires subjective interpolation in the near-ultraviolet and microwave, a temperature correction in the far-infrared, and a choice between two conflicting sources in the near-infrared. New measurements of the spectral absorption coefficient of pure ice are needed, at temperatures near the melting point, for 185–400-nm, 1.4–2.8-μm, 3.5–4.3-μm, 33–600-μm, and 1–100-mm wavelengths.