Refractometry

The speed of propagation of electromagnetic radiation in a vacuum is a constant independent of frequency. However, when this radiation penetrates a material medium, it undergoes interactions with the material during propagation, producing various frequency-dependent effects such as absorption, scattering, polarization and speed reduction.

Refractometry is the set of optical techniques for measuring the refractive index of a material medium, defined as the ratio of the speed of radiation in a vacuum to its speed in the medium under consideration.

In addition to its classic use for determining the refractive characteristics of glassy or crystalline materials used in optical systems, and given that the refractive index of a body depends on its physical state (gaseous, liquid, viscous, solid) as well as its chemical composition, refractometry is also likely to provide assistance in the production processes of compounds developed by the chemical and food industries.