title: Directionally controlled fluorescence emission in butterflies.
abstract: Recently developed, high-efficiency, light-emitting diodes use two-dimensional photonic crystals to enhance the extraction of otherwise internally trapped light and multilayer reflectors to control the direction of light emission. This work describes the characterization of a naturally evolved light-extraction system on the wing scales of a small group of Papilio butterflies. The efficient extraction of fluorescence from these scales is facilitated by a two-dimensional photonic crystal slab that uses a multilayer to help control emission direction. Its light-extraction function is analogous to that of the light-emitting diode.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics, Exeter University, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK. p.vukusic@ex.ac.uk
authors.forename: Pete
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vukusic
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hooper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002080:Butterflies; D003461:Crystallography; D005453:Fluorescence