For Researchers · Thin-Film Coating
Thin-Film Coating for a light sail
Built for researchers prototyping or validating an idea. Prototype fast, reproduce exactly, and share a citable, interactive version of your model. Simulate a light sail live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.
Thin-Film / AR CoatingLive
interference kills reflections
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Coat glass with a film a quarter-wavelength thick and its two reflections cancel by destructive interference — an anti-reflection coating. It works best at one wavelength (the reflectance dips to near zero there), giving camera lenses and glasses their faint purple sheen. The same physics makes soap bubbles and oil slicks shimmer with color.
Data Inspector
Ideal thickness (550nm)100 nm
Min reflectance1.26%
Film index1.38
Governing equation
Reading this result: At 100 nm the film is almost exactly quarter-wave for 550 nm, so green-light reflection is nearly cancelled — an ideal AR coating.
Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is this good for researchers?
- Yes — this version of "Thin-Film Coating for a light sail" is framed for researchers prototyping or validating an idea. Prototype fast, reproduce exactly, and share a citable, interactive version of your model.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.