In: Physics
The blue-ringed octopus reveals its eponymous rings as a warning display. The rings have a stack of reflectin (a protein used for structural color in many cephalopods) plates with index of refraction n = 1.59 separated by cells with an index of refraction of n = 1.37. The plates have a thickness of 62.0 [nm]. Consider light interacting with one plate of reflectin at normal incidence in answering the following questions. a) Does the ray directly reflecting from a reflectin plate undergo a phase shift? Clearly explain your reasoning. b) Does the ray that is transmitted and reflected from the reflectin plate undergo a phase shift? Clearly explain your reasoning. c) What visible wavelengths of light (in air) will give constructive interference for light reflecting form the reflectin plate? d) When illuminated with white light, what color will the reflectin plate appear to be in reflected light?