Ebook: Iridescences: The Physical Colors of Insects

Butterflies and Coleopterons are among the most colorful animals that we are lucky to observe. It is certainly not for our sake that nature indulges itself into such brightness, indeed this very beauty is vital. Although the present book is essentially the work of a physicist, its main objective is to be fundamentally trans-disciplinary. To understand the origins of those bright colors without looking at their evolution potential, to focus on the question "how" neglecting the question "why", would not only be unsatisfying, but it would also harm our understanding of the phenomena. The two aspects clarify one another and cannot be separated. This book can be read at various rhythms so that there is something in it for everyone. Biologists will find a clear and in-depth study of the different physical phenomena generating colors; that is all the things that we once learnt or which we often hear, but forgot. It will constitute a boundless "biomimetical" inspiration for physicists and engineers, for if physics is simple, the combinations of effects and the structures involved are extremely complex and original. As concerns students and teachers, this book will constitute a great base for practical works and it will finally fill with wonder those repelled by equations.

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Butterflies and Coleopterons are among the most colorful animals that we are lucky to observe. It is certainly not for our sake that nature indulges itself into such brightness, indeed this very beauty is vital. Although the present book is essentially the work of a physicist, its main objective is to be fundamentally trans-disciplinary. To understand the origins of those bright colors without looking at their evolution potential, to focus on the question "how" neglecting the question "why", would not only be unsatisfying, but it would also harm our understanding of the phenomena. The two aspects clarify one another and cannot be separated. This book can be read at various rhythms so that there is something in it for everyone. Biologists will find a clear and in-depth study of the different physical phenomena generating colors; that is all the things that we once learnt or which we often hear, but forgot. It will constitute a boundless "biomimetical" inspiration for physicists and engineers, for if physics is simple, the combinations of effects and the structures involved are extremely complex and original. As concerns students and teachers, this book will constitute a great base for practical works and it will finally fill with wonder those repelled by equations.

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Butterflies and Coleopterons are among the most colorful animals that we are lucky to observe. It is certainly not for our sake that nature indulges itself into such brightness, indeed this very beauty is vital. Although the present book is essentially the work of a physicist, its main objective is to be fundamentally trans-disciplinary. To understand the origins of those bright colors without looking at their evolution potential, to focus on the question "how" neglecting the question "why", would not only be unsatisfying, but it would also harm our understanding of the phenomena. The two aspects clarify one another and cannot be separated. This book can be read at various rhythms so that there is something in it for everyone. Biologists will find a clear and in-depth study of the different physical phenomena generating colors; that is all the things that we once learnt or which we often hear, but forgot. It will constitute a boundless "biomimetical" inspiration for physicists and engineers, for if physics is simple, the combinations of effects and the structures involved are extremely complex and original. As concerns students and teachers, this book will constitute a great base for practical works and it will finally fill with wonder those repelled by equations.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-x
Iridescence....Pages 1-6
Why Colors....Pages 7-13
Lepidoptera Description and Scales of Observation....Pages 14-39
Coleoptera Description and Observation Scales....Pages 40-48
Changing Colors: Structures or Pigments?....Pages 49-55
Physical Colors, Chemical Colors Basics of Solid State Optics....Pages 56-67
1-Dimensional Structures: Interferences....Pages 68-85
2-Dimensional Structures: Interferences and Diffraction....Pages 86-111
3-Dimensional Structures: Crystalline Diffraction....Pages 112-116
Amorphous Structures: Scattering....Pages 117-126
Pigments and Pigmentary Colors....Pages 127-134
Thermoregulation and Spectral Selectivity....Pages 135-141
Vision and Colorimetry....Pages 142-150
Back Matter....Pages 151-160

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Butterflies and Coleopterons are among the most colorful animals that we are lucky to observe. It is certainly not for our sake that nature indulges itself into such brightness, indeed this very beauty is vital. Although the present book is essentially the work of a physicist, its main objective is to be fundamentally trans-disciplinary. To understand the origins of those bright colors without looking at their evolution potential, to focus on the question "how" neglecting the question "why", would not only be unsatisfying, but it would also harm our understanding of the phenomena. The two aspects clarify one another and cannot be separated. This book can be read at various rhythms so that there is something in it for everyone. Biologists will find a clear and in-depth study of the different physical phenomena generating colors; that is all the things that we once learnt or which we often hear, but forgot. It will constitute a boundless "biomimetical" inspiration for physicists and engineers, for if physics is simple, the combinations of effects and the structures involved are extremely complex and original. As concerns students and teachers, this book will constitute a great base for practical works and it will finally fill with wonder those repelled by equations.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-x
Iridescence....Pages 1-6
Why Colors....Pages 7-13
Lepidoptera Description and Scales of Observation....Pages 14-39
Coleoptera Description and Observation Scales....Pages 40-48
Changing Colors: Structures or Pigments?....Pages 49-55
Physical Colors, Chemical Colors Basics of Solid State Optics....Pages 56-67
1-Dimensional Structures: Interferences....Pages 68-85
2-Dimensional Structures: Interferences and Diffraction....Pages 86-111
3-Dimensional Structures: Crystalline Diffraction....Pages 112-116
Amorphous Structures: Scattering....Pages 117-126
Pigments and Pigmentary Colors....Pages 127-134
Thermoregulation and Spectral Selectivity....Pages 135-141
Vision and Colorimetry....Pages 142-150
Back Matter....Pages 151-160
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