The polarization sense in human vision

Vision Research
Albert Le FlochVasudevan Lakshminarayanan

Abstract

Unlike humans, numerous animals are differentially sensitive to the vector orientation of linearly polarized light. However as early as 1844 Haidinger noted that weak blue-yellow brushes appear, centered on the fovea, when the sky is observed through a slowly rotating polarizer. Different models have been proposed to try to understand this phenomenon, but the precise mechanism remains unknown and the polarization unexploited. We suggest that when Fresnel's laws are applied to the unguided oblique rays, that the cylindrical geometry of the blue cones in the fovea along with their distribution induces an extrinsic dichroism and could explain why the human eye is sensitive to polarization. We have constructed an artificial eye model system using the same laws and were able to photograph the appearance of entoptic-like blue-dark brushes, confirming the observations and our mathematical simulations. Moreover, our in vivo and in vitro tests show that in addition to the usual 3s fading time measured using a stationary stimulus, there exists for this entoptic image a short extra creating and erasing time of about 0.1s, using a dynamical stimulus. We have also found that, surprisingly, the rotating pattern is more regular and symmetrica...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jul 23, 2014·Nature Communications·Stefan GreifRichard A Holland
Nov 7, 2012·Applied Optics·Raymond L Lee, Orlando R Samudio
Jul 3, 2015·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Shelby E TempleNicholas W Roberts
Dec 1, 2017·Scientific Reports·Gary P Misson, Stephen J Anderson
Oct 20, 2017·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Albert Le Floch, Guy Ropars
May 25, 2012·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Martin J HowJan M Hemmi
Aug 30, 2019··Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan, Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan

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