04.07.2022 - 23:15

If sunlight shines straight onto a peacock feather, the feather appears blue when viewed from 24 degrees on either side of the incident beam of sunlight. The blue color is due to diffraction from the

Question:

If sunlight shines straight onto a peacock feather, the feather appears blue when viewed from 24 degrees on either side of the incident beam of sunlight. The blue color is due to diffraction from the melanin bands in the feather barbules. Blue light with a wavelength of 471 nm is diffracted at 24 degrees by these bands (this is the first-order diffraction) while other wavelengths in the sunlight are diffracted at different angles. What is the spacing of the melanin bands in the feather?

Answers (1)
  • Corrine
    April 17, 2023 в 19:13
    The spacing of the melanin bands in the feather can be calculated using the equation for first-order diffraction of light: dsin? = m? where d is the spacing of the bands, ? is the angle of diffraction (24 degrees in this case), m is the order of diffraction (1 for first order), and ? is the wavelength of light (471 nm for blue light). Rearranging the equation, we get: d = m?/sin? Plugging in the values, we get: d = (1)(471 nm)/(sin24°) d ? 1760 nm Therefore, the spacing of the melanin bands in the feather is \approx imately 1760 nanometers.
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