Abstract

A theoretical model of light absorption in a visual photoreceptor is developed using electromagnetic theory and the absorption properties of visual photopigments. We show that the small decrease of refractive index in the region of anomalous dispersion alters the internal-reflection properties of the photoreceptors and hence its absorption spectrum. As little as 0.1% decrease of refractive index is shown to produce a noticeable bump in the absorption spectrum of the photoreceptor at a higher frequency than peak absorption.

© 1972 Optical Society of America

Light Absorption in the Bee Photoreceptor

Allan W. Snyder and Colin Pask
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 62(8) 998-1008 (1972)

Light absorption in visual photoreceptors

Allan W. Snyder
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 64(2) 216-230 (1974)

One-Term Sellmeier Formula for Dispersion of Dilute Gases*

K. T. Tang
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 62(5) 644-648 (1972)

Contribution of unbound modes to light absorption in visual photoreceptors

Rowland Sammut and Allan W. Snyder
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 64(12) 1711-1714 (1974)

Reflection and Transmission Properties of Cylindrically Guided Electromagnetic Waves*,†

A. I. Mahan, C. V. Bitterli, and H. J. Unger
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 62(3) 361-368 (1972)