Instantaneous Dispersion: A Window into Property Relationships for Optical Glass

Optical applications in the 21st century are rapidly evolving, and materials with new capabilities are needed. Applications covering wide wavelength ranges are a particular challenge as materials can behave very differently in the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared spectral regions. A generalized model for selecting optical materials based on descriptions of dispersion and partial dispersion is presented. The relative behavior of various optical glasses is discussed based on glass composition. This is useful for both the optical designer and the glass maker as it illustrates the chemical origin of the dispersion curve and a possible path toward compositional tailoring of the optical properties to fit specific applications. This method can be extended from traditional optical glasses into the UV and infrared spectral ranges as it does not rely on predefined wavelengths at Fraunhofer lines.