Publication detail

Non-diffracting light in nature: Anomalously reflected self-healing Bessel beams from jewel scarabs

BOUCHAL, P. KAPITÁN, J. KONEČNÝ, M. ZBONČÁK, M. BOUCHAL, Z.

Original Title

Non-diffracting light in nature: Anomalously reflected self-healing Bessel beams from jewel scarabs

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

We report a study of spatial light modulation in the photonic structure of jewel scarabs, revealing the interplay of the polarization and phase control of light, which is not possible with the current optical technology. Phase measurements performed on jewel scarabs demonstrate that the polarization anomalous (helicity-preserving) reflection of light occurs together with alteration of the dynamic phase associated with the optical path length. This control of light differs from the operation of artificially prepared polarization-sensitive structures, shaping light through the geometric phase altered by the polarization transformation. Challenging three-dimensional imaging of the cuticle, requiring high-resolution quantitative mapping of steep phase changes, has been achieved owing to the optical performance of recently developed geometric-phase microscopy. We find that the cuticle of jewel scarabs is formed of micrometer-sized axicon cells, generating thousands of Bessel beams with subwavelength spot size. The nondiffracting features and the self-healing ability of the Bessel beams originating from the beetle Chrysina gloriosa are demonstrated experimentally. Considering Bragg reflection and shaping of RGB components of white light Bessel beams, we explain the spatial structuring of colors in microscopic images of jewel scarabs and reveal the conversion of colors when changing the distance from the cuticle. The functionality and performance of the cuticle axicon cells are discussed in comparison with high-aperture dielectric meta-axicons, and potential applications in colorimetric refractive index sensing are outlined.

Keywords

Holography, Bessel beam, Phase contrast microscopy, Polarization, Bragg reflection, Geometric phases

Authors

BOUCHAL, P.; KAPITÁN, J.; KONEČNÝ, M.; ZBONČÁK, M.; BOUCHAL, Z.

Released

2. 12. 2019

Publisher

American Institute of Physics

ISBN

2378-0967

Periodical

APL Photonics

Year of study

4

Number

12

State

United States of America

Pages from

1

Pages to

7

Pages count

7

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5125045

BibTex

@article{BUT160653,
  author="Petr {Bouchal} and Josef {Kapitán} and Martin {Konečný} and Marek {Zbončák} and Zdeněk {Bouchal}",
  title="Non-diffracting light in nature: Anomalously reflected self-healing Bessel beams from jewel scarabs",
  journal="APL Photonics",
  year="2019",
  volume="4",
  number="12",
  pages="1--7",
  doi="10.1063/1.5125045",
  issn="2378-0967",
  url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5125045"
}