 Refractive index contrast

Refractive index contrast refers to the difference in the refractive indices between two or more materials. The refractive index is a measure of how much light is bent or refracted when it enters a material. It is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in a specific medium. In many optical applications, the contrast in refractive indices is critical for phenomena such as reflection, refraction, and optical waveguiding.