Python interface to RefractiveIndex database

Python interface to the refractiveindex.info database. The database (~15 MB) is bundled. Install with

pip install refractiveindex

Usage

import refractiveindex as ri

# load a material by shelf, book and page
SiO = ri.RefractiveIndexMaterial(shelf='main', book='SiO', page='Hass')
# or from the address-bar URL of a refractiveindex.info page
SiO2 = ri.RefractiveIndexMaterial.from_url(
    'https://refractiveindex.info/?shelf=main&book=SiO2&page=Malitson'
)

# find names, best match first
ri.search('SiO2')
#  0  main/SiO2/Malitson                       Malitson 1965: n 0.21–6.7 µm [Fused silica]
#  1  main/SiO2/Nyakuchena                     Nyakuchena et al. 2023: n 1.10–1.65 µm [Fused silica]
#  ...
# only pages with k data that covers 1550 nm
ri.search('SiO2', quantity='k', wavelength=1550)
SiO2 = ri.search('SiO2')[0].material()

# wavelength in nm by default
SiO.get_refractive_index(600)        # 1.9655

# unit= accepts 'nm', 'um', 'mm', 'm', 'A', 'cm-1', 'THz', 'eV'; arrays work too
SiO.get_extinction_coefficient([0.6, 0.7], unit='um')  # array([0.001, 0.00075])

# permittivity for exp(-iωt) (default) or exp(+iωt) time dependence
SiO.get_epsilon(600)                        # (3.8633+0.0039j)
SiO.get_epsilon(600, exp_type='exp(+iwt)')  # (3.8633-0.0039j)

# valid wavelength range
SiO.get_wl_range(unit='nm')          # (240.0, 14000.0)

Documentation

See DOCUMENTATION.md for unit conversions, separate n and k ranges, values outside the range, and other copies of the database.

Citation

M. N. Polyanskiy, "Refractiveindex.info database of optical constants," Scientific Data 11, 94 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02898-2

Please also state the database version for reproducibility. The database is CC0.

print(ri.DATABASE_VERSION)  
print(ri.DATABASE_COMMIT)

See also

• RefractiveIndex.info database — upstream data.
• PyTMM — original database parsing code.
• RefractiveIndex.jl — Julia interface.