Fig. 5: Simulated reflectance of nanosphere assemblies.
From: Brilliant whiteness in shrimp from ultra-thin layers of birefringent nanospheres
MD and FDTD simulations of 5 × 5 × 5-μm3 photonic glass slabs comprising nanospheres with varying refractive index, polydispersity and filling fraction. Blue trace, isotropic particles (n = 1.74); black trace, isotropic particles (n = 1.96); red trace, birefringent particles (n = 1.40, n = 1.96). Filling fractions: 35% (fine dashed trace), 50% (dashed trace), 60% (solid trace). a–d, Results are shown for polydispersities of 0.33% (a), 5% (b), 10% (c) and 16% (d). Absorbing boundary conditions were used in the FDTD simulation. Right: snapshots of the MD-simulated particle configurations with 50% filling fraction. The grey region in the reflectance plots (left) represents the visible range.
