Iridescence
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Furnaminaly · CC BY-SA 4.0
It is often caused by multiple reflections from semi-transparent surfaces that modulate incidental light through phase shift and interference.[1] The word derives from the Greek word for rainbow and the Latin suffix meaning "having a tendency toward".[2] The hue of a surface appearing iridescent shifts depending on the angle from which it is viewed and the direction of incoming light.[1]
Quick Facts
- Related effect
- Pearlescence (some reflected light is white)
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Robert Hooke correctly noted in his 1665 book Micrographia that peacock feather iridescence was not due to pigments.[3] Hooke observed that the iridescence was lost when the feather was plunged into water but reappeared in air.[3] Iridescence can be described as thin-film, analogous to the Fabry–Pérot interferometer.[4] Examples include oil films on water and soap bubbles.[4]
The leaves of Southeast Asia's Begonia pavonina appear iridescent azure due to layered photosynthetic structures called iridoplasts.[5] The term "iridescence" originates from the Greek word for rainbow, which itself comes from the name of the Greek goddess Iris, who personified the rainbow.[2] Iridescent appearances occur across a wide range of natural and manufactured items, including plants and animals.[4] Numerous plant lineages have evolved iridescence to thrive in low-light conditions.[5]
What the research sources say
A 2009 BBC Online article notes that while iridescence is frequently observed in many reptile groups, it had not been documented in geckos prior to that report.[6] The Open Library record for "Color Science in the Examination of Museum Objects" lists its publisher as Getty Trust Publications and its publication date as August 13, 2001.[7] The Open Library record for "Diffraction Physics" lists its publisher as Elsevier Science B.V. and its publication year as 1995.[8] The Open Library record for "Meteorology" lists its publisher as Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC and its publication year as 2013.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Iridescence" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Srinivasarao, "Nano-Optics in the Biological World: Beetles, Butterflies, Birds, and Moths", Chemical Reviews, July 1999, p. 1935–1962; Kinoshita, "Physics of structural colors", Reports on Progress in Physics, 1 July 2008; COWLEY, "Diffraction Physics", Elsevier, 1995, p. 433–455; Srinivasarao, "Nano-Optics in the Biological World: Beetles, Butterflies, Birds, and Moths", Chemical Reviews, July 1999, p. 1935–1962; Meadows, "Iridescence: views from many angles", Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 23 February 2009, p. S107-13 (we also r en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Iridescence" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Online Etymology Dictionary", etymonline.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Iridescence" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hsiung, "Tarantula-Inspired Noniridescent Photonics with Long-Range Order", Advanced Optical Materials, January 2017; Hooke, Robert. Micrographia. Chapter 36 ('Observ. XXXVI. Of Peacoks, Ducks, and Other Feathers of Changeable Colours.'); Ball, "Nature's Color Tricks", Scientific American, 17 April 2012, p. 74–79; Zi, "Coloration strategies in peacock feathers", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 28 October 2003, p. 12576–12578 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Iridescence" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Yoshioka, "Mechanism of variable structural colour in the neon tetra: quantitative evaluation of the Venetian blind model", Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 16 June 2010, p. 56–66; Rutowski, "Pterin pigments amplify iridescent ultraviolet signal in males of the orange sulphur butterfly", Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2 September 2005, p. 2329–2335 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Iridescence" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Glover, "Structural colour and iridescence in plants: the poorly studied relations of pigment colour", Annals of Botany, April 2010, p. 505–511; Graham, "Physical and Ultrastructural Basis of Blue Leaf Iridescence in Two Neotropical Ferns", American Journal of Botany, 1993, p. 198–203 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "New lizard species found in India", BBC Online, 24 July 2009. facts only, no text reused. news.bbc.co.uk
- Open Library record, ISBN 9780892365869 ("Color Science in the Examination of Museum Objects"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 9780444822185 ("Diffraction physics"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 9781284030808 ("Meteorology"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Iridescence (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Iridescence (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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