Photonic simulation method applied to the study of structural color in Myxomycetes

ANDRÉS DOLINKO; DIANA SKIGIN; MARINA INCHAUSSANDAGUE; CECILIA CARMARÁN

OPTICS EXPRESS

OPTICAL SOC AMER

Lugar: Washington; Año: 2012 vol. 20 p. 15139 - 15148

1094-4087

We present a novel simulation method to investigate the multicoloredeffect of the Diachea leucopoda (Physarales order, Myxomycetesclass), which is a microorganism that has a characteristic pointillistic iridescentappearance. It was shown that this appearance is of structural origin,and is produced within the peridium -protective layer that encloses the massof spores-, which is basically a corrugated sheet of a transparent material.The main characteristics of the observed color were explained in terms of interferenceeffects using a simple model of homogeneous planar slab. In thispaper we apply a novel simulation method to investigate the electromagneticresponse of such structure in more detail, i.e., taking into account the inhomogeneitiesof the biological material within the peridium and its curvature.We show that both features, which could not be considered within thesimplified model, affect the observed color. The proposed method is of greatpotential for the study of biological structures, which present a high degreeof complexity in the geometrical shapes as well as in the materials involved.