Summary
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1.
Farfield radiation patterns of single ommatidia of the fly,Calliphora erythrocephala, have been photographed. Clear radiation patterns of the first and the second waveguide mode have been observed.
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2.
According to theory, the shape of the (optical) angular sensitivity of a photoreceptor equals the shape of its farfield radiation pattern, at least for a monomode fiber.
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3.
The farfield radiation patterns of single photoreceptors have been evaluated quantitatively by means of microdensitometry and have been compared with theoretical calculations according to a lens-waveguide model. Theory and experiment are in good accordance for different wavelengths, different lens apertures, and different photoreceptor diameters.
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van Hateren, J.H. Waveguide theory applied to optically measured angular sensitivities of fly photoreceptors. J. Comp. Physiol. 154, 761–771 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00610676
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00610676