Previous in Forum: Play-Doh isn't just child's play   Next in Forum: Polymer Degradation
Close

Comments Format:






Change Mode
Close

Subscribe to Discussion:

CR4 allows you to "subscribe" to a discussion
so that you can be notified of new comments to
the discussion via email.

Close

Rating Vote:







Add Vote
2 comments
Rate Comments: Nested
Bayes
The Engineer
Engineering Fields - Engineering Physics - Physics... United States - Member - NY Popular Science - Genetics - Organic Chemistry... Popular Science - Cosmology - New Member Ingeniería en Español - Nuevo Miembro - New Member

Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Albany, New York
Posts: 5060
Good Answers: 129

Photonic Crystals in Nature

01/03/2006 12:43 PM

Scientists have found that coleoptera beetles are blue because their shells are photonic crystals made of chitin and air. The photonic crystal produces a bright iridescence that stands out. Peacocks also use photonic crystals in the spots on their tail feathers (see picture).
Register to Reply
Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.
Stupott
Commentator

Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 92
#1

Photonic crystals

01/04/2006 7:57 AM

Out of curiosity, I wonder if this is how paint manufacturers produce that irridescent effect you sometimes see on cars with a custom paint job?

__________________
 There's no such thing as bad weather....only the wrong clothes!
Register to Reply
vermin
Guru

Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 5356
Good Answers: 50
#2

Re: Photonic Crystals in Nature

10/07/2007 3:54 AM

Roger,

You might want to investigate the much more well defined topic of non-linear optics. There's all sorts of stuff to be surprised about there!

__________________
 "Perplexity is the beginning of dementia" - Professor Coriolus
Register to Reply
Register to Reply
Have a Different Question?
2 comments

Previous in Forum: Play-Doh isn't just child's play   Next in Forum: Polymer Degradation
You might be interested in: Optical Crystals, Crystals

Advertisement

Got Something to Say?
Ask a Question
Start a Discussion

Search this Forum
Chemical & Material Science:
Go

CR4 Sections
Aerospace
BioMech & BioMed
Chemical & Material Science
Civil Engineering
Communications & Electronics
Education and Engineering Careers
Electrical Engineering
General Discussion
Instrumentation
Manufacturing
Mechanical Engineering
New Technologies & Research
Software & Programming
Sustainable Engineering
Transportation

Site Directories
Forum Directory
Blog Directory
User Group Directory
RSS Feeds

CR4 Rules of Conduct
CR4 FAQ
Site Glossary

Who's Online (90 right now)
Show Members
Advertisement