Effects of static magnetic fields on light scattering in red chromatophore of goldfish scale

Light scattering in a guanine crystal plate of goldfish scales was observed with and without static magnetic field exposure. Under a microscopic image with dark-field-illumination, the structural color of the scale by guanine plates was observed, and isolated chromatophores showed a twinkling which was the intermittent light scattering of the light from the side. The light scattering was quenched by static magnetic fields of more than 0.26 tesla (T). The quenching was reversibly occurred when the applied external magnetic fields were changed between ambient fields and 5 T. The quenched light scattering did not improve when the magnetic field was decreased from 5 to 0.3 T. It recovered to the original twinkling state about one minute after reaching an ambient geomagnetic field level. The mechanism of the quenched light scattering was speculated to be concerned with the possible magnetic orientation of guanine crystal plates, which were sustained by protein fibers in the red chromatophore. The diamagnetic complex of guanine crystal plates and protein fibers are the candidates for the nanosized light scattering controller based on the magnetic orientation mechanism. (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3357348]