Observation of random lasing action in dye doped polymer incorporating semi-orded biological nanostructures from the wings of cicadas

In this paper we explore whether these biologically derived nanostructures can be utilized to form the resonator structures of organic dye doped polymer lasers. Surprisingly, we found that the random nanostructures on the wing of the pomponia imperatoria cicada can support coherent random lasing when covered with a layer of dye doped polymer film. Unlike typical laser oscillation which occurs within carefully configured resonant cavities, random lasers are the simplest sources of stimulated emission, occurring without a cavity, with feedback provided by a random scattering media.