Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Determining The Index Of Refraction Of Aluminum Fluoride In The Ultra Violet Spectrum, Zoe Hughes

Student Works

A NASA project called Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR) is looking into ways to coat a mirror for a new space telescope. We contributed to this project by investigating aluminum fluoride (AlF₃) as a possible coating for the mirror. We measured the index of refraction of AlF₃ in the wavelength range 6 – 49.5 nm by testing three sample mirrors, each made up of a silicon wafer with a coating of AlF₃. We took data at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) in Berkeley, California and in the laboratory at Brigham Young University (BYU). There are discrepancies …