Optical response (IMAGE) Optica Caption The optical response of the tail portion of a diatom shell is shown. The left image shows the tapered, curvature of the tail. The middle image shows the profile of the confined light propagating longitudinally along the frustule, and the right image shows the transmission spectrum at various points in the tail shown in the left image. Credit Santiago Bernal, McGill University Usage Restrictions None License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.