Color perception under chromatic adaptation: “Supersensitivity” with dim backgrounds

The amounts of 540 nm light and 660 nm light that when mixed result in a yellow (neither reddish nor greenish) percept remain in constant ratio, regardless of the total retinal illumance level of the mixture. A similar result holds if the mixture is superimposed upon a very dim 660 nm adapting field, except that a larger proportion of 540 nm light is required than in the dark (contrary to an effect of receptor desensitization, which would result in a smaller proportion of 540 nm light). Mixtures of 460 and 579 nm lights that give yellow/blue equilibrium percepts show the same effect: under very dim 579 nm adaptation, a larger proportion of 460 nm light is required than in the dark. These results cannot be accounted for by cone sensitivity reduction nor by a postreceptoral restoring effect; they reveal an additional mechanism of adaptation.