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 for the observed optical properties, such as directionality, brightness variations, polarization, and color.
D J
DJ
Brink
J E
JE
Smit
M E
ME
Lee
A
A
Möller