Light and photoreception: Physical principles

  • E. Loew
Chapter

Abstract

Life on earth evolved within an all-pervasive electromagnetic field (EMF) that represented not only a potential source of energy, but also a source of information about the local environment and, in fact, the universe in general. The first autotrophs developed molecular mechanisms for tapping into the energy of the EMF and evolved means for detecting the most fundamental properties of the field — energy, intensity and direction — and using these to orient, regulate exposure and tell time. Living systems responding to these field properties are said to be photosensitive. Vision, while including the basic photosensitivity functions, is concerned with extracting information about the interactions of the EMF with the surrounding media and targets within that media. Single cells and, in some cases, even subcellular organelles may be photosensitive. However, vision is a multicellular capability and required the evolution of appropriate cellular arrays and analytical channels. In this chapter we will deal first with the equations defining the EMF and how the field interacts with matter. We will then look at basic photoreceptive principles and, lastly, at the kinds of adaptations.

Keywords

Color Space Geometric Optic Visual Pigment Spectral Radiance Unit Solid Angle 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 1999

Authors and Affiliations

  • E. Loew
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of PhysiologyCornell UniversityIthacaUSA

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