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| scientific art of sukant saran |
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| Photonic Butterfly |
| Upon touching the wings of the butterfly we do not get the myriad colours on our fingers but a light brownish powder. The powder is, in fact, made up of naturally occurring tiny tubes of crystals. When arranged in a specific manner, photonic crystals act as colour filters that give rise to iridescent colours on the butterfly’s wings. Such crystals can also be constructed in the laboratory. One wing of the butterfly was replaced by the image of one such crystal. |