Rainbow peacock spiders inspire miniature superiridescent optics

Authors

Bor-Kai Hsiung, University of AkronFollow
Radwanul Hasan Siddique, California Institute of TechnologyFollow
Doekele G. Stavenga, University of GroningenFollow
Jürgen C. Otto, St. Ives, NSW, AustraliaFollow
Michael C. Allen, Scripps Institution of OceanographyFollow
Ying Liu, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Yongfeng Lu, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Dimitri D. Deheyn, Scripps Institution of OceanographyFollow
Matthew D. Shawkey, Ghent UniversityFollow
Todd A. Blackledge, The University of AkronFollow

ORCID IDs

Bor-Kai Hsiung http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9657-3484

Radwanul Hasan Siddique http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7494-5857

Doekele G. Stavenga http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2518-6177

Yong-Feng Lu http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5942-1999

Dimitri D. Deheyn http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6496-9297

Matthew D. Shawkey http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5131-8209

Date of this Version

2017

Citation

NATURE COMMUNICATIONS 8: 2278 (2017)

doi 10.1038/s41467-017-02451-x |

Comments

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Abstract

Colour produced by wavelength-dependent light scattering is a key component of visual communication in nature and acts particularly strongly in visual signalling by structurallycoloured animals during courtship. Two miniature peacock spiders (Maratus robinsoni and M. chrysomelas) court females using tiny structured scales (~ 40 × 10 μm²) that reflect the full visual spectrum. Using TEM and optical modelling, we show that the spiders’ scales have 2D nanogratings on microscale 3D convex surfaces with at least twice the resolving power of a conventional 2D diffraction grating of the same period. Whereas the long optical path lengths required for light-dispersive components to resolve individual wavelengths constrain current spectrometers to bulky sizes, our nano-3D printed prototypes demonstrate that the design principle of the peacock spiders’ scales could inspire novel, miniature light-dispersive components.