This energy is then reemitted as an electromagnetic wave with the same frequency of the original wave. The index of refraction usually increases as the physical density of the material increases. The optical density of a material relates to the sluggish tendency of the atoms of a material to maintain the absorbed energy of an electromagnetic wave in the form of vibrating electrons before reemitting it as a new electromagnetic wave. The more optically dense a material is, the slower light will move through the material. To answer your question, the optical density of ice is less than that of water.
Light travels through ice faster than it travels through water.
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