Structural chirality and optical properties of Scarabaeidae beetles

The colorful shiny surface of beetles’ exoskeletons is of great interest for materials science as it shows interesting optical features. Both living and non-living specimens of Scarabaeidae beetles explore the temporal variation of their structural optical features. Reflectance spectra were measured from live beetles until their death and beyond, revealing timedependent changes in the central wavelength and spectral bandwidth, attributed to the helicoidal structures (i.e., pitch) within their exoskeletons. To assess chiral and polarization-related properties, circular polarization imaging was utilized, focusing on the variation of the S3 Stokes parameter over time. This provides new knowledge on structural chirality and optical behavior of natural systems such as beetle coloration that shows potential for advancement in the development of new optical material systems.