How do the optical spectra of amorphous solids differ from those of crystals?

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While amorphous solids and crystals often exhibit similar overall optical spectra—the curves describing how a material absorbs infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light—they differ in their fine details.

The optical spectra of crystals typically feature sharp peaks and distinct characteristics that arise directly from the long-range order of the crystal's atomic-scale structure. In contrast, these sharp features are absent in the optical spectra of amorphous solids due to their lack of such long-range atomic order.1