OPTICAL DIFFRACTION BY THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF THE WING OF A MOTH

Authors
BRINK DJ SMIT JE LEE ME MOLLER A
Citation
Dj. Brink et al., OPTICAL DIFFRACTION BY THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF THE WING OF A MOTH, Applied optics, 34(27), 1995, pp. 6049-6057
Citations number
9
Categorie Soggetti
Optics
Journal title
Applied optics → ACNP
ISSN journal
00036935
Volume
34
Issue
27
Year of publication
1995
Pages
6049 - 6057
Database
ISI
SICI code
0003-6935(1995)34:27<6049:ODBTMO>2.0.ZU;2-1
Abstract
On the wing of the moth Trichoplusia orichalcea a prominent, apparentl y 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 stru cture is responsible for the observed optical properties, such as dire ctionality, brightness variations, polarization, and color.