Optical diffraction by the microstructure of the wing of a moth

Brink, D. J.; Smit, Jacoba E; Lee, M. E.; Möller, Andreas

doi:10.1364/ao.34.006049

Cited by 24 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The males of most of the studied species present on the dorsal surface a brilliant and iridescent blue coloration, while the females are cryptic (D Abrera, 1984;Vukusic et al, 1999;Vukusic & Samble, 2000). This face presents a double layer of scales, whatever the species.…”

Section: Insectsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Morphological structure and optical properties of the wings of Morphidae

2006

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The morphological structure and optical properties of the wings of 14 species of Morphidae have been investigated. Most of the scales of the iridescent species of Morphidae (Lepidoptera) present a very particular structure. The ground scales, responsible for the major part of the optical properties, are covered by a very regular set of longitudinal ridges. The ridges themselves are constituted by a superposition of lamellae that act locally as a multilayered structure. This very specific morphology leads to both interferences and diffraction effects. The first one is responsible of the brilliant blue coloration of the males, while the second one diffracts this colored light at a very large angle. These two phenomena give to the butterfly a very effective long‐range communication system. The morphological characteristics of the scales of the various species are presented in detail. Two types of optical measurement were performed on the iridescent wings of 14 different species of Morphidae: spectroscopic measurements under various incidences and gonioscopic measurements for a given incidence angle and wavelength. The first allows a determination of the index of refraction of the cuticular material. The second leads to the drawing of spatial diffraction maps. It shows that most of the reflected light is diffracted laterally over a very large angle (90° < θ < 120°, according to the different species) and that this repartition depends of the polarization of incident light. As predicted by previous calculations, the dissymmetric structure of the ridge is responsible for the separation of the polarization modes in the various diffraction orders.

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Section: Insectsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Morphological structure and optical properties of the wings of Morphidae

2006

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“…However, in E. childrenae, the cross ribs are located in iridescent green-blue spots and are thought to be behaving as a diffraction grating. Evidence for this originates from a study of similar cross ribs found in the gold patches of the moth Thysanoplusia orichalcea (Fabricius, 1775), which were shown to diffract incident light (Brink et al 1995;Brink & Lee 1996).…”

Section: Scale Components As Photonic Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the diversity and evolution of photonic structures in butterflies, incorporating the work of John Huxley (The Natural History Museum, London from 1961 to 1990)

Ingram

Parker

2008

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

172

149

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The photonic structures of butterfly wings are among the most anatomically diverse of all those in nature, giving rise to an unrivalled display of structural colours. These have recently become the focus of research by workers in a variety of disciplines, stimulated by their potential applications to technology (‘biomimetics’). This interest, together with the discovery of unpublished electron micrographs taken by the late Dr John Huxley (Natural History Museum, London), prompted this review of butterfly photonics in general. The current work provides a synopsis of the literature to date, covering the diversity and evolution of these optical structures and incorporating Huxley's work, which represents an important biomimetic and evolutionary database on its own. This review deals with butterfly photonic devices according to the parts of the butterfly scales on which they occur. In this way, the information is ripe for evolutionary study.

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“…Further, if the periodicity is less than ¶ 0 =…n ‡ 1 †, where n is the index of the grating material, no real propagating diå racted waves (other than the zeroth order) are generated. Such structures are of interest not only to those concerned with micro-optics, but zero-order gratings may also be found in nature contributing to increased transmission through eye structures [1,2] or even to the strong metallic re¯ectivity of lepidoptera [3]. The surface morphology of single gratings of zero-order leads to birefringence [4] and indeed the uniaxial properties of such structures are well documented [ 5± 8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A non-contact technique for determining the depth of zero-order gratings

Sambles¹

2000

Journal of Modern Optics

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In this work we present a simple, non-contact method for characterizing the depth of deep zero-order diå raction gratings using standard visible optics. Form birefringence exhibited by zero-order structures alters the polarization state of light transmitted through them. The amount of change is dependent on several factors including the depth of the grating grooves. By recording the polarization changes of laser light transmitted through the sample we demonstrate how the depth of any grating with a known pitch may be determined. Results for many diå erent gratings have been analysed and show good agreement with groove depths measured from scanning electron micrographs. From these results a universal relationship between the amount of polarization change and the depth of the grating grooves has been determined.

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Optical diffraction by the microstructure of the wing of a moth

Cited by 24 publications

References 6 publications

Morphological structure and optical properties of the wings of Morphidae

Morphological structure and optical properties of the wings of Morphidae

A review of the diversity and evolution of photonic structures in butterflies, incorporating the work of John Huxley (The Natural History Museum, London from 1961 to 1990)

A non-contact technique for determining the depth of zero-order gratings

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