Optical diffraction by the microstructure of the wing of a moth

On the wing of the moth Trichoplusia orichalcea a prominent, apparently highly reflective, golden spot can be seen. Scales from this area of the wing exhibit a regular microstructure resembling a submicrometer herringbone pattern. We show that a diffraction process from this structure is responsible...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied optics (2004) 1995-09, Vol.34 (27), p.6049-6057
Main Authors: Brink, D J, Smit, J E, Lee, M E, Möller, A
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:On the wing of the moth Trichoplusia orichalcea a prominent, apparently highly reflective, golden spot can be seen. Scales from this area of the wing exhibit a regular microstructure resembling a submicrometer herringbone pattern. We show that a diffraction process from this structure is responsible for the observed optical properties, such as directionality, brightness variations, polarization, and color.
ISSN:1559-128X
DOI:10.1364/AO.34.006049