In a recent paper we have investigated, from an electromagnetic point of view, the role played by the pellicle of Euglenoids –unicellular aquatic organisms– in the protection of the cell against UV radiation.14 By modelling the pellicle as a diffraction grating, we computed the electromagnetic response of different species that exhibit different behaviors against UV radiation. In this previous study, the pellicle profile was approximated by a sinusoidal grating. However, it has been observed in the transversal cut images that the profiles are not exactly sinusoidal, and also vary from sample to sample. Since the electromagnetic response depends on the geometry of the grating, reflectance calculations that take into account a more accurate representation of the actual profile could provide more insight into this problem. In this paper we investigate the electromagnetic response of the pellicle of Euglenoids for different grating profiles. The diffraction problem is solved by using the Chandezon method, which has demonstrated a successful performance for deep gratings of arbitrary profiles. We analyze the influence of the shape, depth and period of the grating on the UV reflectance. We show that the pellicle characteristics are critical parameters to increase the reflectance, thus reducing the penetration of the UV radiation within the cell and therefore, minimizing the damage and increasing the survival of these organisms.

Date Published: 26 March 2015
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 9429, Bioinspiration, Biomimetics, and Bioreplication 2015, 94290D (26 March 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2083848

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9429:
Bioinspiration, Biomimetics, and Bioreplication 2015
Akhlesh Lakhtakia; Mato Knez; Raúl J. Martín-Palma, Editor(s)