title: Uncertainties in the optical constants determined from isoreflectance curves.
abstract: The determination of optical constants by the isoreflectance method with polarized light is discussed. We consider uniaxial as well as isotropic materials. It is shown that the precision of the optical constants determined by the intersection of isoreflectors declines with increasing n and k because the curves intersect at small angles. Therefore, highly accurate measurements of reflectance are called for. The parallel mode of polarization is found to produce more precise results than the perpendicular mode. For uniaxial substances, however, the optical constants for the extraordinary ray can only be determined from the perpendicular mode.
authors.affiliation: Block Engineering Inc., 19 Blackstone Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Engelsrath
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Loewenstein