Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Polarisation vision : overcoming challenges of working with a property of light we barely see

Foster, James J. LU ; Temple, Shelby E. ; How, Martin J. ; Daly, Ilse M. ; Sharkey, Camilla R. ; Wilby, David LU and Roberts, Nicholas W. (2018) In Science of Nature 105(3-4).
Abstract

In recent years, the study of polarisation vision in animals has seen numerous breakthroughs, not just in terms of what is known about the function of this sensory ability, but also in the experimental methods by which polarisation can be controlled, presented and measured. Once thought to be limited to only a few animal species, polarisation sensitivity is now known to be widespread across many taxonomic groups, and advances in experimental techniques are, in part, responsible for these discoveries. Nevertheless, its study remains challenging, perhaps because of our own poor sensitivity to the polarisation of light, but equally as a result of the slow spread of new practices and methodological innovations within the field. In this... (More)

In recent years, the study of polarisation vision in animals has seen numerous breakthroughs, not just in terms of what is known about the function of this sensory ability, but also in the experimental methods by which polarisation can be controlled, presented and measured. Once thought to be limited to only a few animal species, polarisation sensitivity is now known to be widespread across many taxonomic groups, and advances in experimental techniques are, in part, responsible for these discoveries. Nevertheless, its study remains challenging, perhaps because of our own poor sensitivity to the polarisation of light, but equally as a result of the slow spread of new practices and methodological innovations within the field. In this review, we introduce the most important steps in designing and calibrating polarised stimuli, within the broader context of areas of current research and the applications of new techniques to key questions. Our aim is to provide a constructive guide to help researchers, particularly those with no background in the physics of polarisation, to design robust experiments that are free from confounding factors.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Artefact, Imaging, Measurement, Methods, Polarisation, Vision
in
Science of Nature
volume
105
issue
3-4
article number
27
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • pmid:29589169
  • scopus:85044581363
ISSN
0028-1042
DOI
10.1007/s00114-018-1551-3
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
33624fa3-6462-466a-a56f-57ba0fb60f89
date added to LUP
2018-04-10 12:48:50
date last changed
2024-04-01 02:21:59
@article{33624fa3-6462-466a-a56f-57ba0fb60f89,
  abstract     = {{<p>In recent years, the study of polarisation vision in animals has seen numerous breakthroughs, not just in terms of what is known about the function of this sensory ability, but also in the experimental methods by which polarisation can be controlled, presented and measured. Once thought to be limited to only a few animal species, polarisation sensitivity is now known to be widespread across many taxonomic groups, and advances in experimental techniques are, in part, responsible for these discoveries. Nevertheless, its study remains challenging, perhaps because of our own poor sensitivity to the polarisation of light, but equally as a result of the slow spread of new practices and methodological innovations within the field. In this review, we introduce the most important steps in designing and calibrating polarised stimuli, within the broader context of areas of current research and the applications of new techniques to key questions. Our aim is to provide a constructive guide to help researchers, particularly those with no background in the physics of polarisation, to design robust experiments that are free from confounding factors.</p>}},
  author       = {{Foster, James J. and Temple, Shelby E. and How, Martin J. and Daly, Ilse M. and Sharkey, Camilla R. and Wilby, David and Roberts, Nicholas W.}},
  issn         = {{0028-1042}},
  keywords     = {{Artefact; Imaging; Measurement; Methods; Polarisation; Vision}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{3-4}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Science of Nature}},
  title        = {{Polarisation vision : overcoming challenges of working with a property of light we barely see}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00114-018-1551-3}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00114-018-1551-3}},
  volume       = {{105}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}