Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/189567

Title

Numerical analysis on the optical role of nano-randomness on the Morpho butterfly's scale

Author(s)

Saito, Akira;  Yonezawa, Masaru;  Murase, Junichi;  Juodkazis, Saulius;  Mizeikis, Vygantas;  Akai-Kasaya, Megumi;  Kuwahara, Yuji

Abstract

The blue coloration of Morpho butterflies has anomalously low angular dependence despite the production of color with a selected wavelength based on an interference effect. A key to the mechanism of the specific Morpho-color was suggested to be the randomness of its scale. Using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) analysis, the role of different kinds of randomness in the structure of the Morph butterfly's scale was investigated, which was impossible by conventional analytical calculations. The results revealed that incoherence in the incident light plays an essential role, which cannot be realized only by structural randomness. On the other hand, the lateral and vertical randomness, and the number of random components were found each to have an independent role to realize the specific Morpho-color preventing the sharp reflective angular dependence. The direction obtained by the numerical simulations to analyze optically complex random structures will serve not only to understand the scientific principles, but also to design the optical properties of artificial materials.

Publication type

Journal article

Source

Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Vol. 11, no. 4 (Apr 2011), pp. 2785-2792

Publication year

2011

FOR Code(s)

0912 Materials Engineering;  1007 Nanotechnology

Keyword(s)

Bio-mimesis;  FDTD;  Finite-difference time-domain;  Morpho butterfly;  Randomness;  Simulation;  Structural color

Publisher

American Scientific Publishers

ISSN

1533-4880

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1166/jnn.2011.3906

Copyright

Copyright © 2011 American Scientific Publishers. The publisher does not allow institutions to archive either the published version or the accepted manuscript of the paper.

Peer reviewed