Unveiling spatial correlations in biophotonic architecture of transparent insect wings

Abstract

We probe the natural complex structures in the transparent insect wings by a simple, non-invasive, real time optical technique using both monochromatic and broadband femtosecond lasers. A stable, reproducible and novel diffraction pattern is observed unveiling long range spatial correlations and structural-symmetry at various length scales for a large variety of wings. While matching the sensitivity of SEM for such microstructures, it is highly efficient for extracting long range structural organization with potentially broad applicability.