The quantum character of light and its bearing upon threshold of vision, the differential sensitivity and visual acuity of the eye

✍ Scribed by H.L. de Vries

• Book ID: 104163499
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1943
• Weight: 572 KB
• Volume: 10
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0031-8914
• DOI: 10.1016/s0031-8914(43)90575-0

✦ Synopsis

A short introduction is given in § 1. In § 2 it is shown that one quantum of light absorbed by the photo-sensitive material in the eye suffices to give rise to the perception of light. In § 3 some relations are derived that are used in the discussions in § 4 and § 5. In § 4 and § 5 the attention is drawn to the statistical fluctuations in the numbers of quanta perceived and their relation to the limits of differential sensitivity and visual acuity of the eye. It is shown that the limits calculated in this way coincide surprisingly well with the limits actually observed. 111 § 6 some evidence is presented for the conception that the sensory cells (rods and cones) act in the same way as counters of light-quanta, the more complicated electrical response of single nerve fibers in the optic nerve being caused by the" interaction of nerve-cells. --553 --*) In the case of scotopic vision, i.e. at low illumination where no colours are seen. t} The maximum sensitivity of the rods lies at 510 my.

*) This unit of retinal illumination should not be confounded with a quantum of light, also called a photon in some papers.