Photonic Crystal Iridescence
Structural colors are responsible for many of the colors seen in nature, and photonic crystals are the most versatile and the most intricate mechanism of structural colors. Photonic crystals are periodic structures on the order of a wavelength of light. They are responsible for the brilliant blue seen the in the wings of Morpho butterflies and the large range or iridescent colors seen in bird feathers such as the peacock and pidgin. Manmade photonic crystals can control the flow of light through a medium. They can be used to improve fiber optic communication and potential create optical computers.