Optical reflectance of blue bronze crystals near the Peierls transition

We report on the reflectance of blue bronze crystals in the visible frequency range as a function of temperature. The observed large oscillations in the reflectance at all wavelengths at temperatures near the Peierls transition are interpreted as interference effects stemming from a surface layer. It is found that the surface layer, which appears to be tied to fluctuations, can be as much as 1.6 microns thick.