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Speed of light in a moving medium: Phase velocity of light

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Light moves more slowly through a material medium than through a vacuum, its phase velocity v being c/n, where n is the index of refraction of the medium.

If now the medium itself moves at a velocity V << c with respect to the laboratory, show that the phase velocity of the light with respect to the laboratory is approx. c/n + V(1- 1/n^2)

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Thokchom Sarojkumar Sinha, MSc
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  • BSc, Manipur University
  • MSc, Kanpur University
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