title: Modulations in the light of the firefly.
abstract: Continuous light could be produced from the firefly by making it inhale vapours of ethyl acetate.  Here we perform such a control experiment on the Indian species of the firefly Luciola praeusta Kiesenwetter 1874 (Coleoptera : Lampyridae : Luciolinae), and analyse the light in the microsecond time scale. The amplitude of the continuous train of triangular pulses is apparently altered in accordance with the instantaneous values of a hypothetical signal, which exhibits pulse amplitude modulation (PAM). In addition to sampling in amplitude, this scheme apparently provides sampling in time, representing pulse width modulation (PWM). A Fourier transform spectrum of this waveform shows the 'carrier' frequency and the accompanying 'side bands'.
authors: Department of Physics, Gauhati University, Guwahati 781 014, India, agohainbarua@yahoo.com
authors: Anurup Gohain
authors: AG
authors: Barua
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D048888:Fireflies / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008027:Light; D049449:Luminescence; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; C007650:ethyl acetate
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