An optical examination of thin films. I.—The optical constants of mercury

Abstract
Drude originally suggested that the properties of films on both absorbing and non-absorbing substrates could be studied by an optical method, since the reflecting properties of a surface are modified by the presence of a film. This method has in part been used by various workers, with some success. For liquid surfaces, or for smooth surfaces of solids, such as are obtained by cleavage or after suitable polishing, it is possible to measure “the relative phase retardation,” Δ, and “the ratio of the reflection coefficients,” tan ψ, which define the reflecting properties. From the values of Δ and ψ for a clean surface, the refractive index, n , and the absorption coefficient, k , characteristic of the material can be found from the approximate equations n = sin ϕ tan ϕ cos 2ψ/(1 + cos Δ sin 2ψ), (1.1) k = sin Δ tan 2ψ, (2.1) where ϕ is the angle of incidence.

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