Modeling Cosmic Dust: How to Use Optical "Constants"

In order to determine the precise nature of cosmic dust, we us e a combination of multi-wavelength ground- and space-based spectroscopy, imaging, laboratory data and modeling. Dust grains scatter, absorb and re-radiate light according to their optical properties, which are sensitive to e.g. the temperature, chemical composition, size, shape, and lattice structure of the dust grains. For example, graphite and diamond are both polymorphs of carbon, and will form under very similar conditions, but their interactions with light are very d ifferent. This work provides a primer on how to apply basic physics concepts to understanding how we measure and use the optical properties of candidate cosmic dust species. We discuss the way in which measurements are made, how simplifying assumptions commonly made in astronomy may cause problems and how measurable and calculable parameters from laboratory experiments can be directly or indirectly compared to parameters derived from astronomical observations. Final ly, we examine the simplifying assumptions with the most commonly used “synthetic” optical properties for cosmic dust and highlight forthcoming laboratory data as a potential replacement.