Search
Menu
Hamamatsu Corp. - Earth Innovations LB 2/24

Photonic crystals help fish see in the murk

Facebook X LinkedIn Email
Ashley N. Paddock, [email protected]

The elephantnose fish has light-reflecting cups lined with photonic crystals in its retinas that help it navigate its dark, murky environment, scientists have found. This unusual eye structure might aid future sensors that filter signal noise or peform detection in turbid fluids. These freshwater fish, found in the cloudy depths of African rivers, use electrosensing to navigate their dark environment, but they also depend somewhat on vision. Until recently, these weakly electric fish were thought to be blind, or almost blind, University of Leipzig neurophysiologist Andreas Reichenbach...Read full article

Related content from Photonics Media



    Articles


    Products


    Photonics Handbook Articles


    White Papers


    Webinars


    Photonics Dictionary Terms


    Media


    Photonics Buyers' Guide Categories


    Companies
    Published: September 2012
    Glossary
    photonic crystals
    Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner analogous to how semiconductors control the flow of electrons. Photonic crystals are often engineered to have periodic variations in their refractive index, leading to bandgaps that prevent certain wavelengths of light from propagating through the material. These bandgaps are similar in principle to electronic bandgaps in semiconductors. Here are some key points about...
    photonics
    The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
    retina
    1. The photosensitive membrane on the inside of the human eye. 2. A scanning mechanism in optical character generation.
    Andreas ReichenbachBiophotonicsBioScanconeselephantnose fishEuropeFilterslight-reflecting cupsmirrorsNewsOpticsparabola mirrorphotonic crystalsphotonicsphotoreceptorsretinarodsSensors & Detectorssignal noise filtrationturbid fluidsUniversity of Leipzig

    We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.