Abstract

A polystyrene foam model of the ellipsoid of a retinal cone receptor was uniformly irradiated by a point source of microwave energy. The contribution of the model was determined when it was irradiated by a number of different wavelengths, and when it was oriented in different directions relative to the advancing wave front.

The shorter the wavelength, the greater the ability of the model to concentrate the incident energy when the model was oriented in the direction of maximum sensitivity. Further, the directionality of the functions becomes greater the shorter the wavelength. That is, for the shorter wavelengths, the sensitivity falls off more rapidly (from the maximum) for equivalent obliquity of incidence of the wave front. The implications of these findings are discussed.

© 1960 Optical Society of America

Characteristics of a Model Retinal Receptor Studied at Microwave Frequencies*

Jay M. Enoch and Glenn A. Fry
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 48(12) 899-911 (1958)

Optical Properties of the Retinal Receptors*†

Jay M. Enoch
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 53(1) 71-85 (1963)

Millimeter-wave model of a foveal receptor

Peter J. de Groot and Ronald E. Terpstra
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 70(12) 1436-1452 (1980)

Validation of an Indicator of Mammalian Retinal Receptor Response: Density of Stain as a Function of Stimulus Magnitude*

Jay M. Enoch
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 56(1) 116-123 (1966)

Nature of the Transmission of Energy in the Retinal Receptors*†

Jay M. Enoch
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 51(10) 1122-1126 (1961)