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Title

Circular dichroism in biological photonic crystals and cubic chiral nets

Author(s)

Saba, M.;  Thiel, M.;  Turner, M. D.;  Hyde, S. T.;  Gu, M.;  Grosse-Brauckmann, K.;  Neshev, D. N.;  Mecke, K.;  Schroder-Turk, G. E.

Abstract

Nature provides impressive examples of chiral photonic crystals, with the notable example of the cubic so-called srs network (the label for the chiral degree-three network modeled on SrSi2) or gyroid structure realized in wing scales of several butterfly species. By a circular polarization analysis of the band structure of such networks, we demonstrate strong circular dichroism effects: The butterfly srs microstructure, of cubic I4132 symmetry, shows significant circular dichroism for blue to ultraviolet light, that warrants a search for biological receptors sensitive to circular polarization. A derived synthetic structure based on four like-handed silicon srs nets exhibits a large circular polarization stop band of a width exceeding 30%. These findings offer design principles for chiral photonic devices.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences. Centre for Micro-Photonics. Centre for Ultrahigh Bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems

Source

Physical Review Letters, Vol. 106, no. 10 (Mar 2011), article no. 103902

Publication year

2011

FOR Code(s)

01 Mathematical Sciences;  02 Physical Sciences;  09 Engineering

Keyword(s)

Band gaps;  Butterfly wing scales;  Chiral networks;  Circular dichroism;  Photonic crystals;  Surfaces

Publisher

American Physical Society

ISSN

0031-9007

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.103902

Copyright

Copyright © 2011 American Physical Society. Published version of the paper reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.

Full text

Peer reviewed