Work

The Electrodynamic Basis of Dichroism-Mediated Polarization Perception

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

Abstract: Humans see the polarization of light through entoptic percepts arising from the macula's Henle fiber layer, where xanthophyll pigments absorb preferentially across the radiating fibers. From the layer's complex dielectric tensor alone, Maxwell's equations in Berreman $4\times4$ form yield its Mueller matrix, set by four scalars $\{A,B,C,D\}$. Its intensity channel depends only on the dichroic pair $A$ and $B$, which fix the percepts at a maximum contrast $|B|/A\approx0.05$. One relation generates the whole dichroism-mediated family: Haidinger's brushes under a uniform field, their dark arms perpendicular to the $\mathbf{E}$-vector; fractured brushes under spatially varying fields; and $N$-fold brushes under vector-vortex illumination.

Source: arXiv (Cornell University)

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2609.13530

Authors: Misson, Gary P., Sarenac, Dusan, Pushin, Dmitry. A., Temple, Shelby E.

Institutions: Aston University, University at Buffalo, State University of New York

Language: English

Topic: Optical Polarization and Ellipsometry

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Canada First Research Excellence Fund, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Award: G7196225639

OpenAlex ID: W7213238917

Cites: 1

Cited by:

Related to: 10