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Total internal reflection describes the fact that radiation (e.g. visible light) can, at certain angles, be totally reflected from an interface between two media of different [[indices of refraction]] (see [[Snell's law]]). Total internal reflection occurs when the first medium has a larger refractive index than the second medium, for example, light that starts in water and bounces off the water-to-air interface.
Total external reflection is the situation where the light starts in air and vacuum (refractive index 1), and bounces off a material with index of refraction less than 1. For example, in X-rays, the refractive index is frequently slightly less than 1, and therefore total external reflection can happen at a glancing angle. It is called ''external'' because the light bounces off the exterior of the material.<ref>{{cite book|last=Attwood|first=D|title=Soft X-Rays and Extreme Ultraviolet Radiation|year=1999|publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref> This makes it possible to focus X-rays.<ref>See, for example, NASA {{
==References==
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