Source Link
Excerpt:
TL;DR: Scientists have long been fascinated by the vibrant colors and intricate structures found in the feathers of birds like the Indian Peafowl (commonly known as the peacock). A new study has shed light on a surprising property of these iconic tail feathers: their ability to act as tiny laser resonators when infused with a common fluorescent dye.
The research, conducted by researchers from several US universities and published in Nature, set out to explore the behavior of peacock feather barbules – microscopic structures that help create the bird’s famous shimmering eyespots – when treated with the laser dye rhodamine 6G. The aim was to determine if light emitted from these dyed feathers would reveal insights about the underlying biological structure, and whether the colorful photonic crystals in the feathers themselves might serve as feedback mechanisms to produce laser light.
To conduct the experiment, scientists obtained natural peacock feathers, carefully cut them to isolate the eyespot area, and repeatedly wetted and dried specific regions with a solution containing rhodamine 6G. This dye is well-known for its bright fluorescence when exposed to green laser light. Using pulses from a green laser, the team illuminated the prepared feathers and collected the emitted light through a specialized spectrometer system.