  Diatoms are among the dominant phytoplankters in the worl's ocean, and their
external silica investments, resembling artificial photonics crystal, are
expected to play an active role in light manipulation. Digital holography
allowed studying the interaction with light of Coscinodiscus wailesii cell wall
reconstructing the light confinement inside the cell cytoplasm, condition that
is hardly accessible via standard microscopy. The full characterization of the
propagated beam, in terms of quantitative phase and intensity, removed a
long-standing ambiguity about the origin of the light. The data were discussed
in the light of living cell behavior in response to their environment.
