Readings from Scientific American


[ Contents ]



Light, the Eyes, and Vision;
Thermography and Lasers
2/53 69 "Light Scattered by Particles." by Victor K. LaMer and Milton Kerker. The introduction of a laboratory procedure that measures the size of colloidal particles utilizing light scattering.
11/54 116 "The Amateur Scientist." Ingalls; discusses a unique feature of the eye of a snake -- the eyeball is always oriented with the slit vertical (also true of turtles and goldfish).
3/55 116 "The Amateur Scientist." Ingalls, details of computers that solve puzzles; also a study of the rotation of the eye.
7/55 88 "Polarized Light and Navigation." by Waterman; evidence that some aquatic organisms as well as land-dwelling animals guide themselves by means of polarized light.
8/55 62 "The Speed of Light." Rush; the problem of measuring the speed of light; scientists have doubts about its true value and consider the possibility that it has changed in the past 20 years.
5/56 48 See Category 7.
11/56 161 "The Amateur Scientist." E. Cave; fundamentals of light, a few basic experiments, and making a device to measure light waves.
12/56 113 "Electrical Events in Vision." L. and J. Miline; use of the horseshoe crab eye to study how the sensation of light on the retina is changed.
8/57 128 "The Amateur Scientist." 1) An apparatus to study mice metabolism; 2) Experiments with the eye.
5/58 130 A refracting telescope in which the main lens consists of only one piece of glass.
5/59 84 "Experiments in Color Vision." Comparison of the contemporary theories and investigations to the old, classical ones.
7/59 56 "The Perception of Motion." How we ascribe motion to objects.
8/59 110 See Category 3.
10/59 92 "Life and Light." Why does life depend on a narrow band in the electromagnetic spectrum? Does this also hold true elsewhere in the universe?
4/60 64 "The Visual Cliff." Gibson and Walk; Use of this device in the study of depth perception and some experimental findings.
5/60 134 "Flash Photolysis." Grossweiner; The use of this technique in the study of photo chemistry and fast chemical reactions.
6/60 121 "How We See Straight Lines." Platt; The scanning motions of the eye and their relation to the ability to perceive "straightness."
10/60 72 "Optical Pumping." Bloom; How light can be used to "pump" electrons to high energies for spectroscopic purposes.
11/60 72 "Fiber Optics." Kapany; How glass fiber bundles transmit light and some of their uses.
3/61 138 "Shadows and Depth Perception." by Eckhard H. Hess. The distribution of light and shadow shows whether objects are concave or convex.
5/61 66 "The Origin of Form Perception." by Robert L. Fautz. Is the ability of human beings to perceive the form of objects innate or learned?
6/61 52 "Optical Masers" by Arthur L. Schawlow. These new devices produce light in which the waves are coherent, i.e. all in step, (now called lasers.).
6/61 72 "Stabilized Images on the Retina." by Roy M. Pritchard. Stopping the motion of images provides evidence on theories of perception.
3/62 106 "Cataracts." Lerman; The nature causes and surgical treatment are explained.
5/62 62 "Experiments with Goggles." Kohler; The ability of the eye to compensate for induced visual distortion.
6/62 119 "Floaters in the Eye." White and Levatin; explanation of these visual disturbances.
1/63 107 "The Perception of Neutral Colors." Wallach; the perception of the lightness of achromatic colors is shown to be dependent on the relative light intensities of adjacent surfaces.
7/63 34 "Advances in Optical Masers." Shawlow; The contemporary developments in laser research and production are exhaustively discussed, along with possible future uses.
7/63 122 "Inhibition in Visual Systems." Kennedy; The response of the retina to the onset of darkness as well as light is discussed in conjunction with inhibition and repression of some impulse propagation by other impulses.
10/63 84 "Afterimages." Brindley; Contains many experiments in the production of the visual phenomenon of negative and positive afterimages, along with possible photochemical explanations.
11/63 54 See Category 7.
1/64 79 "Trachoma." Werner, Latte, Contin; blinding eye disease aflicts people in poorer parts of the world; investigating practical vaccine.
3/64 110 "Vision in Frogs." Muntz; Retina is more filter than film, it discriminates and sends messag~s to the brain.
4/64 38 "The Interaction of Light with Light." Giordmaine; newest reports on lasers.
6/64 94 See Category 7.
7/64 24 "Control Mechanisms of the Eye." Fender; Control system of how an eye tracks a target.
12/64 48 "Three-Pigment Color Vision." MacNichol; studies on retinal cells answer questions on color discrimination.
2/65 38 "Texture and Visual Perception:" Bela Julesz; artificial computer-generated patterns show the role of surface texture in the discrimination of objects.
4/65 46 "Attitude and Pupil Size." Eckhard. H. Hess. Pupil enlargement and constriction studied in relation to various stimuli.
2/67 94 "Medical Thermography." Cohen; How measurements of the heat emitted through the skin can aid in diagnosis.
5/67 96 "Vision and Touch." Rock and Harris; Explanation of why vision seems to dominate over touch when the two seem to provide conflicting information.
5/67 108 "Light-Emitting Semiconductors." Morehead; Discussion of how such semiconducting crystals can give rise to useful devices such as solid-state lasers.
6/67 64 "Molecular Isomers in Vision." Hubbard and Kropf; Discussion of how retinal, a substance in the retina, changes molecular form when light falls on it.
10/67 94 "Visual Isolation in Gulls." Smith; How certain species of gulls don't interbreed because of subtle visual signals passed between them.
4/68 32 "Photon Echoes." Hartmann; explains the physics behind 'phase memory' of crystal wherein the number of light pulses which enter a crystal differs from the number of light pulses which are detected emerging at the crystal's other end.
4/68 125 "Two Methods of Microscope Lighting that Produce Color." (The Amateur Scientist) Stong; how to construct eyepieces and filters which, when attached to a simple light microscope, produce amazing displays of color.
6/58 141 "A Spectrophotometer is Built for Less than $75." (The Amateur Scientist) Stong; the construction and application.
8/68 23 "High-Power Carbon Dioxide Lasers." Patel; the theory, technology and application behind lasers which use low-pressure carbon dioxide gas as the active medium.
8/68 50 "The Infrared Sky." Neugebauer and Leighton; explains the technology behind and information obtained through the infrared telescope on Mount Wilson.
8/68 88 "Movements of the Eye." Thomas; a special camera is used that tracks and records how the eye observes normal activities.
9/68 50 "Light." Feinberg; a basic discussion on the physics and properties of the electromagnetic spectrum.
9/68 60 "How Light Interacts with Matter." Weisskopf; explains how electromagnetic radiation interacts with electrons to produce how we perceive that matter.
9/68 72 "How Light is Analyzed." Counes; follows the rise and application of spectroscopy used in light analysis.
9/68 96 "How Images are Detected." Janes; compares photographic emulsions and electronic image detectors to the visual system of vertabrates.
9/68 120 "Laser Light." Schawlow; compares the physics of laser light with that of ordinary light.
9/68 140 "Applications of Laser Light." Herriot; is just what the title states. Includes some basic physics.
9/68 158 "The Chemical Effects of Light." Oster; the physics and chemistry of the responses of simple molecules to photons.
9/68 174 "How Light Interacts with Living Matter." Henricks; the physiology behind the processes of photosynthesis, vision, and photoperiodism.
9/68 190 "The Control of the Luminous Environment." Fitch; how the architect makes the best use of artifical and natural light.
9/68 204 "The Process of Vision." Neisser; starts with the process of visual perception and extends this discussion to how the brain is believed to handle this input.
11/68 66 "Visual Illusions." Gregory; how the mind handles (and mishandles) visual illusions.
2/69 118 "The Amateur Scientist." How to construct an argon gas laser with outputs at several wavelengths.
3/69 19 See Category 2.
5/69 105 "Retinal Processing of Visual Images." C. R. Michael; comparing squirrels, frogs, and primates.
2/70 82 "Phosphenes." Oster. The patterns we see when we close our eyes are clues to how the eye works.
2/70 98 "Cell Surgery by Laser." Berns and Rounds. A tiny, intense spot of light is used to probe the physiology of the living cell.
2/70 116 "The Amateur Scientist." Stong. A tunable laser using organic dye is made at home for less than $75.
3/70 38 "The Lunar Laser Reflector." Faller and Wampler. This Apollo 11 experiment is producing much valuable information.
3/70 108 "Monomolecular Layers and Light." Drexhage. Thin films of fatty acids and dye are used to probe the structure of light waves.
4/70 100 "Liquid-Crystal Display Devices." Heilmeier. Fluids that have crystalline properties are used in the presentation of images.
10/70 80 "Visual Cells." Young. The rods and cones constantly renew themselves, but in strikingly different ways.
10/70 124 "The Amateur Scientist." Stong. The color vision of pigeons is tested in a Skinner box.
11/70 120 "The Amateur Scientist." Stong. A modulator is constructed for laser light, and phase-contrast microscopy is simulated.
12/70 58 "Optical Interference Coatings." Baumeister and Pincus. Films that suppress or enhance reflection have many applications.
5/71 89 See Category 7.
6/71 34 "Eye Movements and Visual Perception." David Norton and Lawrence Stark; explains just how the eye scans pictures is a clue to visual recognition.
9/71 218 "The Amateur Scientist." C. L. Stong; how a carbon dioxide laser is constructed by a high school student in California.
10/71 30 "The Object in the World of the Infant." T. G. R. Bower. Just how do infants learn to associate touch and vision in perceiving objects? (i.e. how early?).
12/71 62 "Multistability in Perception." Fred Attneare; how certain pictures and geometric figures change spontaneously in appearance.
2/72 62 "The Pressure of Laser Light." Ashkins; light used to move particles.
3/72 22 "Nonvisual Light Reception." Menaker; light sensitive regions of the brain control biorythms.
8/72 84 "The Neurophysiology of Binocular Vision." Pettigrew; discussion of three-dimensional vision as mediated by single nerve cells and cortex of the brain.
12/72 72 See Category 7.
1/73 70 "The Control of Sensitivity in the Retina." by Frank S. Werblin. Interactions among nerve cells keep the response range of the system in register with ambient illuminations, evolving the retina to form a broad range of light conditions.
5/73 94 "The Infrared Receptors of Snakes." by Igor Garnow and J. F. Harris.
5/74 44 "Visual Pathways in Albinos." Guillery; siamese cats, white tigers, and other albino mammals show related brain defects.
11/74 106 "Contrast and Spatial Frequency." Campbell and Moffei. Visual system is more sensitive to certain frequencies than others.
3/75 64 "Visual Pigments and Color Blindness." Rushton; analysis of nature of defects involved in color blindness, concentrating on anomalies in cone pigments.
4/75 34 "Experiments in the Visual Perception of Texture." Julesz; Analysis of perception of texture through the use of statistics and probability - somewhat technical in style.
6/75 76 "Visual Motion Perception." Johannson; use of projective geometry to analyze interpretation of environment as structures in relative motion.
7/75 68 "The Effects of Light on the Human Body." Wortman; discussion of therapeutic uses of light, harmful effects of excessive light exposure (natural and artificial).
8/75 62 "The Perception of Surface Color." Beck; dissection of the concept of surface color into its various components; discussion of 'color constancy' and illumination effects.
12/75 70 "What happens to the Human Lens in Cataract." vanHeyningen; optics and structure of the normal lens; optical effects of opacity from cataracts.
1/76 102 "Mirages." Fraser and Mach; explanations of mirages on land and sea in terms of the optical properties of the atmosphere.
3/76 80 "The Resources of Binocular Perception." Ross; a study of binocular depth perception; how the visual system constructs 3-dimensional scenes from 2-dimensional images formed on the retina and how the perceptual system extracts depth and motion from visual input before we are conscious of what we are seeing.
4/76 48 "Subjective Contours." Kanizsa; certain conformations of incomplete figures give rise to visible contours even when the contours don't really exist. Missing contours are supplied somehow by the visual systems. Some interesting and convincing diagrams are presented.
4/76 ? "Opals." An exploration of the pure spectral color they give off when rotated in white light. Discussion of silica.
6/76 38 "The Purple Membrane of Salt-Loving Bacteria." Stoeckenius; Rhodopsin is the 'visual purple' of the animal eye. Formerly known only as a pigment, rhodopsin may serve as a pigment of the photosynthetic mechanism that converts light to chemical energy.
7/76 106 "Polarized-Light Navigation by Insects." Wehner; a sophisticated system exists in insects which allows them to navigate by the polarization of the light in the sky. Good discussion on the properties of polarized light.
8/76 72 "The Photographic Lens." Price; the development of a new high-performance lens by new optical materials and computer Systems. Discussion on optics and lens properties.
10/76 ? "White Light Holograms." Pretty complicated - good luck!
11/76 90 See Category 1.
12/76 42 "Negative Aftereffects in Visual Perception." Favreau and Corballis; study of illusions which yield information on the visual and perceptual systems of the human.
1/77 60 See Category 7.
3/77 106 "Flashlight Fishes." J. E. McCosker; several marine species enjoy a symbiotic relation with luminescent bacteria.
4/77 116 "The Theory of the Rainbow." H. M. Nussenzveig; nice picture, detailed explanations.
7/77 109 "The Compound Eye of Insects." G. A. Horridge; the pattern of the facets is related to the insect , 5 visual needs.
10/77 132 See Category 7.
12/77 108 "The Retinex Theory of Color Vision." E. H. Land; the inventor of instant photography on recent research demonstrating the interaction of retinal and brain processing of information.
3/78 142 "Visual Illusions That Can Be Achieved By Putting A Dark Filter Over One Eye." (Amateur Scientist) J. Walker; includes electronics for measuring visual latency.
5/78 126 See Category 7.
9/78 232 "The Bright Colors in a Soap Film Are A Lesson in Wave Interference." (Amateur Scientist) J. Walker.
12/78 126 "Animal Eyes with Mirror Optics." M. F. Land; multiple thin layers can make good reflectors.
1/79 108 "The Trajectories of Saccadic Eye Movements." Bahill and Stark; experiments that study the rapid motions of the eyeball reveal the methods by which the brain controls the eye; a good way to learn about control theory.
1/79 152 "How to Make Dazzling Photomicrographs with Simple and Inexpensive Equipment." Walker; explains darkfield microscopy and the uses of polarized light.
3/79 112 "The Perception of Surface Blacks and Whites." Gilchrist; vision as a computation on the received light pattern.
6/79 188 "Experiments with Edwin Land's method of getting color out of black and white." (Amateur Scientist) J. Walker.
7/79 136 "The Visual Perception of Motion in Depth." D. Ragain, K. Beverly, and M. Cynader; information processing in eye and brain.
4/80 172 "Visual Illusions in random-dot patterns and television 'snow'." J. Walker (Amateur Scientist).
5/80 176 "Illusions in the snow: more fun with random dots on the television screen." Jearl Walker (Amateur Scientist).
6/80 174 "Mysteries of rainbows, notably their rare supernumerary arcs." Jearl Walker (Amateur Scientist).
8/80 158 "Dazzling laser displays that shed light on light." by Jearl Walker (Amateur Scientist).
10/80124"The Causes of Color." Kurt Nassau. They are diverse, but they are all the response of electrons to different wavelengths of light.
10/80204"A homemade mercury-vapor ion laser that emits both green and red-orange." Jearl Walker (Amateur Scientist).
11/80198"More about random-dot displays, plus computer programs to generate them." Jearl Walker (Amateur Scientist). Includes a method for planning jawbone surgery to improve tooth alignment.
12/80206"Mirror Images." David Emil Thomas. In which fantastically curved mirrors illuminate the underlying principles of all mirror images.
1/81164"More about edifying visual spectacles produced by laser." Jearl Walker (Amateur Scientist).
3/81145"Anorthoscopic Perception." Irvin Rock. When a figure is revealed in successive sections through a slit, how is its form reconstructed? The human mind's approach to a problem like CAT-scan computation.
5/81174"About phosphenes: luminous patterns that appear when the eyes are closed." Jearl Walker (Amateur Scientist).
7/81148"Binocular Depth Inversion." John I. Yellott, Jr.; the interpretation of visual images by the brain takes accound of expectations.
7/81l76"Anamorphic pictures: distorted views from which distortion can be removed." Jearl Walker (Amateur Scientist).
8/81146"Interference patterns made by motes on dusty mirrors." Jearl Walker (Amateur Scientist); this situation was one problem on my Ph.D. qualifying exam at Princeton in 1976.
11/61140"The Color Patterns of Butterflies and Moths." H. Frederik Nijhout.
11/81192"The pleasures of the pinhole camera and its relative the pinspeck camera." Jearl Walker (Amateur Scientist).
2/82140"Color Vision in Fishes." Joseph S. Levine and Edward F. MacNichol, Jr.; the available light varies widely in intensity and spectrum; fishes have evolved a corresponding variety of visual systems.
2/82162"The 'speckle' on a surface lit by laser light can be seen with other kinds of illumination." Jearl Walker (Amateur Scientist).
3/82116"The Infrared 'Vision' of Snakes." Eric A. Newman and Peter H. Hartline; rattlesnakes, pythons, and boas, among others, are sensitive to heat radiation.
4/82150"'Floaters': visual artifacts that result from blood cells in front of the retina." Jearl Walker (Amateur Scientist). See also Category 10 6/62.
11/80198See category 10.


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Dick Piccard revised this file (http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~piccard/scientam/light.html) on November 21, 2003.

Please E-mail comments and suggestions to piccard@ohiou.edu.