Polarization Sensitivity in Compound Eyes

The compound eyes of insects and many other arthropods can detect a basic property of light which normally remains invisible to us: the plane of polarization. Arising by scattering in air and water, as well as by reflection from surfaces (Fig. 1), linearly polarized light (characterized by the E-vector direction) is widespread in nature and provides the sensitive eye with a great deal of extra optical information. How polarized light is analyzed and used by arthropods is the theme of this chapter.

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