Interband optical transitions of Zn

Experimental results of an optical study of single‐crystal zinc are presented. Components of the Zn dielectric function tensor were measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the 0.1–5 eV spectral range. In the NIR–VIS range, the dielectric function spectra show two clearly resolved, polarization‐dependent optical features located at about 1 and 1.7 eV. The optical features were analyzed in a framework of parallel‐band optical transitions. The performed theoretical calculations of the optical conductivity spectra well reproduce the experimental data with respect to positions, intensities, and polarization dependencies of the observed interband absorption peaks. The paper by Karpus et al. analyzes interband optical transitions of zinc. These occur across the energy gaps which open at intersections of the Fermi surface with the effective Brillouin zone comprised of the 002 and 101 families of Bragg planes. The experimental spectra of the Zn optical conductivity, measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry, are well reproduced by the theory of parallel‐band optical absorption.