Spectral fingerprint of laser emission from rhodamine 6g infused male Indian Peafowl tail feathers

Abstract The light-emissive properties of dye-infused barbules from Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) tail feathers is investigated at high intensities pumped at $$532\,$$ nm. The dye-infused barbules were prepared by repeatedly wetting the eyespot with dye solution and allowing it to dry. While wet,...

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Main Authors: Anthony Fiorito, D. Ryan Sheffield, Hengzhou Liu, Erfan Nasirzadeh Orang, Nathan J. Dawson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04039-8
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author Anthony Fiorito
D. Ryan Sheffield
Hengzhou Liu
Erfan Nasirzadeh Orang
Nathan J. Dawson
author_facet Anthony Fiorito
D. Ryan Sheffield
Hengzhou Liu
Erfan Nasirzadeh Orang
Nathan J. Dawson
author_sort Anthony Fiorito
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The light-emissive properties of dye-infused barbules from Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) tail feathers is investigated at high intensities pumped at $$532\,$$ nm. The dye-infused barbules were prepared by repeatedly wetting the eyespot with dye solution and allowing it to dry. While wet, and after wet/dry cycling, across multiple parts of the same feather as well as across different feather samples, a highly conserved set of laser wavelengths was observed. While most feedback mechanisms in biological materials have been attributed to random lasers, the results presented in this article are inconsistent with this mechanism, and they suggest a critical structure inside the barbules which persists through different color regions of the eyespot. The laser thresholds were found to be below the random laser threshold for these materials, and the laser emission indicates that feedback structures with small gain volumes can be measured using this technique. This study also illustrates how persistent small-scale structures in biological materials act as low-quality resonators whose dispersion imprints on subsequent laser emission.
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spelling doaj-art-2b62184513944df2b23e40d458d5bf662025-08-20T03:37:31ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111010.1038/s41598-025-04039-8Spectral fingerprint of laser emission from rhodamine 6g infused male Indian Peafowl tail feathersAnthony Fiorito0D. Ryan Sheffield1Hengzhou Liu2Erfan Nasirzadeh Orang3Nathan J. Dawson4Physics, Florida Polytechnic UniversityPhysics, Florida Polytechnic UniversityPhysics, Florida Polytechnic UniversityPhysics, Youngstown State UniversityPhysics, Florida Polytechnic UniversityAbstract The light-emissive properties of dye-infused barbules from Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) tail feathers is investigated at high intensities pumped at $$532\,$$ nm. The dye-infused barbules were prepared by repeatedly wetting the eyespot with dye solution and allowing it to dry. While wet, and after wet/dry cycling, across multiple parts of the same feather as well as across different feather samples, a highly conserved set of laser wavelengths was observed. While most feedback mechanisms in biological materials have been attributed to random lasers, the results presented in this article are inconsistent with this mechanism, and they suggest a critical structure inside the barbules which persists through different color regions of the eyespot. The laser thresholds were found to be below the random laser threshold for these materials, and the laser emission indicates that feedback structures with small gain volumes can be measured using this technique. This study also illustrates how persistent small-scale structures in biological materials act as low-quality resonators whose dispersion imprints on subsequent laser emission.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04039-8LaserFeedbackPhotonic structureBiophotonics
spellingShingle Anthony Fiorito
D. Ryan Sheffield
Hengzhou Liu
Erfan Nasirzadeh Orang
Nathan J. Dawson
Spectral fingerprint of laser emission from rhodamine 6g infused male Indian Peafowl tail feathers
Scientific Reports
Laser
Feedback
Photonic structure
Biophotonics
title Spectral fingerprint of laser emission from rhodamine 6g infused male Indian Peafowl tail feathers
title_full Spectral fingerprint of laser emission from rhodamine 6g infused male Indian Peafowl tail feathers
title_fullStr Spectral fingerprint of laser emission from rhodamine 6g infused male Indian Peafowl tail feathers
title_full_unstemmed Spectral fingerprint of laser emission from rhodamine 6g infused male Indian Peafowl tail feathers
title_short Spectral fingerprint of laser emission from rhodamine 6g infused male Indian Peafowl tail feathers
title_sort spectral fingerprint of laser emission from rhodamine 6g infused male indian peafowl tail feathers
topic Laser
Feedback
Photonic structure
Biophotonics
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04039-8
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