title: Coloration strategies in peacock feathers.
abstract: We report the mechanism of color production in peacock feathers. We find that the cortex in differently colored barbules, which contains a 2D photonic-crystal structure, is responsible for coloration. Simulations reveal that the photonic-crystal structure possesses a partial photonic bandgap along the direction normal to the cortex surface, for frequencies within which light is strongly reflected. Coloration strategies in peacock feathers are very ingenious and simple: controlling the lattice constant and the number of periods in the photonic-crystal structure. Varying the lattice constant produces diversified colors. The reduction of the number of periods brings additional colors, causing mixed coloration.
authors.affiliation: Surface Physics Laboratory (National Key Laboratory) and T-Center for Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China. jzi@fudan.edu.cn
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zi
authors.forename: Xindi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yizhou
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xinhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xingjun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaohan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Rongtang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D005241:Feathers / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008857:Microscopy, Interference; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000502:physiology*