| Amorphous diamond-structured photonic crystal in the feather barbs of the scarlet macaw. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 22615350 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Noniridescent coloration by the spongy keratin in parrot feather barbs has fascinated scientists. Nonetheless, its ultimate origin remains as yet unanswered, and a quantitative structural and optical description is still lacking. Here we report on structural and optical characterizations and numerical simulations of the blue feather barbs of the scarlet macaw. We found that the sponge in the feather barbs is an amorphous diamond-structured photonic crystal with only short-range order. It possesses an isotropic photonic pseudogap that is ultimately responsible for the brilliant noniridescent coloration. We further unravel an ingenious structural optimization for attaining maximum coloration apparently resulting from natural evolution. Upon increasing the material refractive index above the level provided by nature, there is an interesting transition from a photonic pseudogap to a complete bandgap. |
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Authors:
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Haiwei Yin; Biqin Dong; Xiaohan Liu; Tianrong Zhan; Lei Shi; Jian Zi; Eli Yablonovitch |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. Date: 2012-05-21 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Volume: 109 ISSN: 1091-6490 ISO Abbreviation: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. Publication Date: 2012 Jul |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2012-07-04 Completed Date: 2012-09-18 Revised Date: 2013-02-28 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7505876 Medline TA: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 10798-801 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Physics, Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Photonic Structures (Ministry of Education), Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China. |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Crystallization Feathers / chemistry*, ultrastructure* Keratins / chemistry* Melanins / chemistry Microscopy, Electron, Scanning Optics and Photonics Parrots / anatomy & histology* Pigmentation* Refractometry Vacuoles / chemistry, ultrastructure |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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0/Melanins; 68238-35-7/Keratins |
| Comments/Corrections | |
Erratum In:
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Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jul 24;109(30):12260 |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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