Title :
Butterfly effect [light emitting diodes]
Abstract :
A UK team of optical physicists has discovered that the structure of the groundbreaking light emitting diode (LED) developed by Alexi Erchak at the Massachusets Institute of Technology in Cambridge in 2001 can also be found in the fluorescent wings of the male African swallowtail butterflies of the Princeps nireus species. In addition, the team found that the structure of these wings is subtly different from the MIT design in a way that may offer clues for improving LEDs further.
Keywords :
Bragg gratings; fluorescence; light emitting diodes; light reflection; Bragg reflector; Massachusets Institute of Technology; Princeps nireus species; captured light; fluorescent light; fluorescent wings; light emitting diode; male African swallowtail butterflies; optical structure; photonic crystal; three-layered mirror; Distributed Bragg reflectors; Fluorescence; Light emitting diodes; Mirrors; Optical devices; Optical losses; Optical sensors; Photonic crystals; Pigmentation; Slabs;
Journal_Title :
Spectrum, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/MSPEC.2006.1584354
