Abstract

The early contributions of M. Poisson and G. B. Airy to the theory of the modern reflection-increasing and reflection-reducing films are discussed. Airy’s equations are presented and are used to calculate the reflectance of a MgF₂ film for varying angles of incidence. A restricted form of these equations is also used to calculate the reflectance of a MgF₂ and a ZnS film near normal incidence when the film is illuminated with light of different wavelengths. Comparisons are made between calculated and measured values of the reflectance for some experimental films. Attention is directed particularly to the fact that Airy’s equations are very general in form and that many of the more modern solutions for predicting the reflectance of such films can be directly derived from Airy’s equations.

© 1952 Optical Society of America

The Reflectance of Thin Cellulose Nitrate Films*

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Absolute Optical Absorption from Diffuse Reflectance

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