Optical properties of methanol at high pressures

Abstract

The pressure dependence of the refractive index of methanol has been measured in a diamond-anvil cell up to 5·6 GPa at room temperature. These experiments cover the liquid phase of methanol (below 3·6 GPa) as well as the ‘superpressed fluid’ phase above 3·6 GPa. We have extracted the polarizability of methanol from our experimental data and the equation of state by using the Lorentz-Lorenz equation.