Generating spatiotemporal patterns of linearly polarised light at high frame rates for insect vision research
Abstract
Polarisation vision is commonplace among invertebrates; however, most experiments focus on determining behavioural and/or neurophysiological responses to static polarised light sources rather than moving patterns of polarised light. To address the latter, we designed a polarisation stimulation device based on superimposing polarised and non-polarised images from two projectors, which can display moving patterns at frame rates exceeding invertebrate flicker fusion frequencies. A linear polariser fitted to one projector enables moving patterns of polarised light to be displayed, whilst the other projector contributes arbitrary intensities of non-polarised light to yield moving patterns with a defined polarisation and intensity contrast. To test the device, we measured receptive fields of polarisation-sensitive Argynnis paphia butterfly photoreceptors for both non-polarised and polarised light. We then measured local motion sensitivities of the optic flow-sensitive lobula plate tangential cell H1 in Calliphora vicina blowflies under both polarised and non-polarised light, finding no polarisation sensitivity in this neuron.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1242/jeb.244087
Entities
People
- Dexter Gajjar-reid
- Gregor Belušič
- Holger G. Krapp
- Jack Supple
- Léandre Varennes-Phillit
- Uroš Cerkvenik
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Air Force Research Laboratory
- Imperial College London
- University of Ljubljana